To Come Back Again
by blucross
Summary: Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned an important mission to go back and stop Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the past?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, I'm back with a new story! Since you all were so nice with my other story (Going Back) I decided I'd start this one earlier than planned. Originally, this was supposed to be published in a month or two, as I don't have all the chaps planned out yet. But! I have enough of the first couple of chapters thought out to publish. So enjoy! I'll also be using Japanese (romaji) in the chapters, so the translations will be at the end of the chapter. (And if anyone knows a good translator for me to use, I'd really appreciate it if you message me about it. Arigato!)

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned an important mission to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

Also, I'm trying to make the chapters longer, so bear with me if they seem to drag along (and tell me if they do, please).

0o0-0o0-0o0

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was known for their powerful combination: a Gifted Healer, a genius Fighter, and the one who was behind the works of the team, a Manipulator. An extremely dangerous group of people who you'd prefer to be your ally rather than your enemy. This was what was going on through the Council's mind as they decided who would accomplish this next mission. They knew that Team Ayatsuru would be able to accomplish this mission; but would they do it was the question all had on their mind.

"There's no choice but to ask them," The leader of the Council decided. The leader turned to one of the guards on duty. "Go collect Team Ayatsuru. They should be back from their recent mission by now."

"Hai." The guard bowed at a forty-five degree angle before leaving to collect the team.

The leader sighed, looking outside the tent. "We can only pray that they'll accept." The other Council members nodded solemnly in agreement, awaiting their subordinates' arrival.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Sighing in content, Naruto strolled back to his tent at a leisurely pace with Sasuke right next to him, who shared the same expression as the blonde. You may think this a strange happening, but it was so. The two finally got tired of fighting, and, with his baa-chan's approval, joined the Hangyaku, no longer shinobi of Konohagakure. Ever since, the two had shared a tight bond that was shared with one other person. Said person was waiting at Naruto's tent, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Naru! Sake!" She called, using their nicknames. The tow didn't even bat an eye at the names, already used to the names of endearment she gave them.

"Hi, Saku," Naruto replied cheerfully, though with not as much energy. He had mellowed out considerably since he left the village.

"Hey," Sasuke greeted. Naruto and Sakura had managed to make the Uchiha more conversational, even if it was only with them.

"Where've you been?" Sakura asked, entering Naruto's tent.

"We went to go get some takoyaki from Kenchii. I swear he makes the best takoyaki ever!" Naruto exclaimed, drooling at thought of food. Sakura just laughed.

"You think all food from Kenchii is the best ever, Naru," Sasuke told his blonde friend, who merely grinned.

"Its true," Naruto said, taking a seat on his bed. "If only they had Ichiraku's here, then it'd be perfect. Sasuke and Sakura sweat-dropped at their friend. Some things would never change with their blonde friend.

"So, what are we going to do tomorrow? Leader gave us tomorrow off at the briefing." Sakura mentioned, bringing up the main reason why she was outside waiting for them.

"You're right!" Naruto said with a smile on his face. "We haven't had a day off in a while, have we?" Naruto asked, getting nods of agreement in reply before they went over their options. It wasn't until a few minutes of thinking where Naruto had an idea.

"I know! What about going to the Tanima ni Miken Kessho for a picnic!" Naruto offered, a large grin on his face.

"That's a great idea, Naru!" Sakura exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Sasuke nodded in agreement, smiling slightly. "We'll go tomorrow!" The two boys nodded their agreement just as there was a knock on Naruto's tent door.

"Excuse me, Naruto-sama," The guard who was sent by the leader stepped inside. Naruto frowned at the formality but let the guard continue.

"Leader wants your team in the Council tent." The guard relayed the message before bowing again and leaving the tent.

A frown made its way on to the just smiling face. 'I hope it's not another mission,' Naruto thought. 'Those two seriously need a break.' With that in mind, Naruto stood up from his bed and walked out of his tent, Sasuke and Sakura flanking him.

The trio was greeted with bows and greetings. Though they didn't much care for the formalities the members of Hangyaku gave them, they knew why they were given such respect. As the strongest team of Hangyaku, people gave them the respect they thought the trio deserved. After all, power comes with responsibility, and with responsibility, you grow wiser.

Reaching the Council tent, Naruto rapped on the door twice. "Leader, we have arrived." Naruto announced his team's presence, and the leader called for them to enter.

The three stood facing the Council. Naruto stood in the middle signifying he was the leader of the team. On his right stood Sakura, and on his left, Sasuke. Calmly observing the Council, Naruto tried to read their intentions. While he did trust his leader, he didn't trust the Council as much. Living with a council of people against you for fifteen years of your life did not help his trust issues at all.

"Is there a reason you called upon us, Leader?" Naruto asked. "It is to be our time off at the moment." Naruto's face was calm, and his eyes were void of any emotions.

"Yes, there is a reason I have called you here." The leader said. Naruto picked up on the weariness of his voice and tensed. He had a bad feeling about this. "We have a new mission for team Ayatsuru." Leader threw a scroll to Naruto who caught it with ease. Opening the scroll and reading its contents, Naruto paled. Sakura became worried and looked over Naruto's shoulder, as did Sasuke. They both became pale.

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto asked, rereading the contents again.

_Mission: You are to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure._

_Time requirements: Once stationed there, you will not return. You are to leave at dawn with everything packed._

"Why us?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes filled with sadness. "How come it's my team that has to go back?"

Leader had a look of sadness on his face as well. "You three are the only ones who are able to do it; you know that Naruto." Naruto's eyes met his leaders, and the blonde knew that his leader would've preferred to send another team.

"I will do it," Naruto agreed after contemplating the consequences. "But," Naruto's tone grew sharp. "Sakura and Sasuke must agree as well, and it can't be a forced decision. Also, if we do this mission, I require money for new clothes." Naruto's nose scrunched up. "That orange was disgusting."

Sakura laughed at her teammate and leader. She would have gone, even if they had forced her; she would follow Naruto anywhere, and was ready to give her life up for him.

Sasuke was having similar thoughts, and while he didn't laugh, he smiled at his best friend. He, too, would go with Naruto, the only one he knew who could understand him so well.

"We'll go." The two shinobi stated, and Leader nodded.

"Very well," Leader nodded, and pulled out a scroll. Opening the seal with his blood, he pulled out a little sack of money. "This," He explained, "will be for your clothing. And this," Leader pulled out a larger sack, four times the size of the smaller one. "Is for the mission. Know that we will miss you dearly at Hangyaku, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke." The Leader said their names with a sad smile. The three teenage shinobi saluted their leader before exiting the tent.

"Well," Naruto said as he headed towards his tent. "Looks like we've managed to get ourselves an adventure." The blonde smiled a foxy grin, reminding the other two shinobi of the whisker marks that were no longer there.

The three separated as they went to go pack their belongings up. A sense of excitement welled up inside each of the three; this was their chance to change things, to make things the way they were supposed to be.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Like the mission scroll stated, the three left at dawn. None of them had bothered dressing in anything fancy, seeing as how, when the jutsu was cast, they would be back in their clothes of then. They all wore standard black ANBU pants, and had on form-fitting tank tops (Naruto black, Sasuke dark blue and Sakura forest green).

Standing in front of their leader, he did the needed seals before announcing the name of the jutsu. "Shuho: yutori ryoko no jutsu!" A rip in the air stood before Team Ayatsuru.

"Go on ahead," Naruto told his two friends, who nodded and started walking towards the rip.

"That should take you where you need to go, Naruto." The leader said, walking towards Naruto.

Naruto smiled a sad smile. "Looks like this'll be the last time I'll see you on these terms." Naruto commented, holding out his hand. The leader nodded and took it, though he surprised Naruto by pulling him into a hug.

"Take care of him for me, will you?" The leader asked, and Naruto nodded, knowing who his leader was referring to.

"Hai. I will, Itachi." Naruto whispered his reply before being released. He gave one final look to those who were there to see them off. The entirety of Hangyaku had come to see them off, and they were all bowing.

"Sayonara," Naruto told them, his golden locks gently whipping due to the breeze. With one last look, he turned around and walked towards his two teammates and entered the rip. He didn't look back.

0o0-0o0-0o0

When the three landed back in the past, they cursed their luck. They were in the Forest of Death, facing Orochimaru, who was about to put the Curse Seal on Sasuke for the second time. Reacting quickly, Naruto shot out his ninja wire and connected them to Orochimaru's limbs, and pulled backwards. This seemed to work, for Orochimaru was suddenly yanked back by what seemed to be an invisible force.

Naruto released the wires on Orochimaru's limbs, and said man was thrown through the trees. A large dust cloud appeared where the trio assumed Orochimaru landed.

"He shouldn't be getting up for a while. I used chakra draining wires." Naruto explained to his two teammates. Said two nodded sharply. "Moving on to more important matters," Naruto continued, walking over towards the area Orochimaru had been standing before being yanked back by Naruto's wires. "You have the Heaven Scroll, Saku?" He asked. Sakura produced a Heaven Scroll and tossed it to Naruto. Grinning like to kitsune he was, he held up the Earth Scroll.

"Let's head to the Tower. We have both scrolls now." Naruto ordered.

"Hai!" Sasuke and Sakura replied, flanking the now running Naruto. They kept on running until they reached the tower. Walking in, Naruto opened the two scrolls, and a smoke screen appeared. All of them were tense until they heard the familiar voice of their Academy Sensei.

"Well done you three," Iruka congratulated them before being jumped by Naruto. Iruka barely managed to stay on his feet, though he was used to it by now.

"Aren't we awesome, Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto asked, slipping back into his idiot mask perfectly.

"You three did very well. There are rooms available for you to use, so why don't you go and clean up? There are two more days until the time limit is up, so rest well." Iruka gave a smile before shun shining away again.

"Let's get going then," Sakura said, heading towards the stairs. "I'd like to clean up before we get something to eat." Naruto and Sasuke nodded before heading to their rooms.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Over the next two days, Team Ayatsuru relaxed and made sure they were prepared for the preliminaries. If all went according to the original timeline, the three knew who they would be facing, but this time, they all planned on getting through to the finals.

Having spare time, the three altered their attire to some degree. Even though they had been able to bring all their possessions with them from the future, they believed it a better idea to wait until the one month training period to put on their original gear. Sakura had changed her dress into a tank top and the pair of green shorts she had always worn could now be seen. She had Sasuke cut her hair short for her, as she preferred it this way over her old hair.

Sasuke himself hadn't done anything drastic, though he made some minor changes. He cut off the collar to his shirt, and made it a sleeveless tank top (at that time, it was blue, if you remember from the anime). The Uchiha had put wrappings on his wrists and ankles, the way he preferred it.

Naruto had gotten rid of his orange coat, leaving him with his horrendously ugly orange pants, and the black tank top he usually wore under his orange coat. He cut off the white part at the end of each pant leg, making the orange pants now fit him better. The blonde, who had liked how long his hair was in the future, kept it that way, though he had Sasuke cut a little bit off so that it was to a little above his shoulders.

At the end of two days, Naruto silently observed his friends talking about something random. Right now, the sun had already gone down, and the three were in their pajamas. Naruto looked at his friends again, and noticed something on their arms. With wide eyes, he noticed the tattoos the two had on their right shoulders. The tattoo was built for three people: the first part was the handles and string to control the puppet (Sakura). After that, the second part was the puppet itself (Sasuke) which contained a puppet with three faces: a joyous face, a saddened face, and an angered face.

The third part of the tattoo was the first and second parts put together to create a puppet, which was on Naruto's right shoulder as well. When the tattoo was designed, it was designed for their team, and the one who had the completed puppet was considered the Leader.

Sasuke seemed to catch Naruto's stare, and followed it to his right shoulder. He sighed before walking towards Naruto. Sakura followed him, a small smile on her face.

"Why are you two still wearing those tattoos?" Naruto asked. "I'm not the Leader any-" The blonde was cut off by Sasuke.

"We're wearing them because we want to, Naru," Sasuke told him, using the nickname they had made for him. Naruto's eyes widened; Sasuke usually didn't use the nickname with him. If he was saying it now, he was serious.

"He's right, Naruto," Sakura said, putting a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder. "The tow of us are going to follow you to the end, whether you like it or not." She smiled at the blonde.

Naruto smiled a warm smile, gazing at the two who were his family. "Arigato." He thanked them softly, closing his eyes, falling asleep against the window. Sasuke smiled as well before lifting the boy he considered a younger brother to his bed to sleep.

Sakura bid Sasuke before going back to her room- there was a door that connected the two rooms. Sasuke turned off the light in his and Naruto's room before sliding into bed. The Uchiha took one more glance at his Leader before closing his eyes and falling asleep as well.

0o0-0o00-0o0

When the trio awoke the next morning, they ate their breakfasts before going to pack their things again. The second part of the Chuunin Exams was up today; those who didn't make it would be later retrieved and healed by other Konoha shinobi before being sent back to their countries.

Just as the trio had finished packing, the announcement was made that all Genin who had passed the second round were to report to the field area. Naruto looked to his two teammates who nodded before he opened the door and walked out. Sasuke (right) and Sakura (left) flanked him as the trio journeyed to the practice area. An aura commanding respect and one that held power made the other Genin teams stop and stare at the team.

As Team Ayatsuru walked into the practice field, all eyes were upon them. Some were shocked by the power rolling off the teens (Genin and Chuunin) while others stared at the trio (most Jounin). On the other hand, the Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. 'Since when did Team Seven become that powerful?' Sarutobi wondered, and noticed how they were standing. Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno were flanking Naruto as if he was their leader…

Sarutobi pushed that away to another part of his mind for the time being, "Congratulations to all those who have passed. As there is a larger number this year, we will need to hold a preliminary before we continue onto the finals." Whispers went around the Genin, not expecting to have to fight to make it to the finals.

"We will randomly pair you up against someone else, so everything is fair. If there is anyone who wishes to leave, please raise your hand." Sarutobi finished, and a few hands, including Kabuto's went up. When there were no more hands in the air, the Sandaime began the preliminaries.

The Genin and their instructors went up to observe from the railings. The Rookie Nine and their instructors (including Kakashi) took this time to interrogate Team Seven. But alas, they didn't get the chance to do so.

"Wake me up when its time for your match," Naruto told Sakura, who merely nodded as Naruto lay against the wall and went to sleep. Sakura went closed her eyes and meditated to pass the time by. Sasuke was already having his match, and beating the crap out of his opponent, as Naruto knew he would.

The Rookie Nine could only sigh as they had lost their chance at finding out what was wrong with their comrades. Little did they know that the problem with the team was not something bad, but was something that, when realized, changes others opinions of you. And for some reason, no one noticed the fact that Naruto didn't have any whisker marks on his cheeks…

0o0-0o0-0o0

Well, how'd you like I? As I said earlier, I am trying to make it longer. Please review with your thoughts!

Word Guide- In the order of when it showed up

Arigato- thanks, thank you

Ayatsuru- Manipulate

Hangyaku- Rebellion

Hai- Yes

Tanima no miken kessho- I believe it means Valley of Hidden Crystals. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but if you know what it means, please tell me.

Shuho: yutori ryoko no jutsu- Technique: Time Travel jutsu.


	2. Chapter 2

Hallo, please don't shoot me. I'm sorry for not updating in so long! I've just had so much to do since term started back up again, and there's the writer's block that kept me from updating this sooner. Anyways, I do intend for this story to go past the Chuunin Exam Arc, so it won't be as short as the atrocity I refer to as Going Back (looking at that story makes my head fall in shame; it could've been so much better).

Oh, and, I know perfectly well that the Chuunin Exam gives one month training time, but, for the purposes of this story, it will be two months.

Enjoy!

Legend

"Talking/jutsus"

'_Thinking/signing'_

"Bijuu talking/special effect noises"

'_Bijuu thinking'_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned an important mission to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto yawned as he watched the board decide who was going to compete next. It seemed that he had awakened at just the right time, for on the board was the match between Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. He looked to his left where Sakura was getting up fro, her Indian-style position, a small sigh escaping her that, as far as Naruto knew, only he and Sasuke could hear.

"Knock her dead, Sakura," Naruto encouraged his female teammate, knowing the reason behind her sigh. Although all three of them remembered their arsenals (there had been a time or two when the squad that had been sent by the yutori ryoko no jutsu and only remembered what their mission was) and had their chakras stores from their twenty-five-year-old bodies, their physical features had diminished greatly, meaning they had their twelve-year-old bodies.

Signing in the Hangyaku code, Naruto told Sakura that would be one of the things they would work on over the two-month training period. Sakura merely nodded before jumping over the railing and into the arena where Ino was waiting for her. Naruto watched as the proctor (he couldn't remember the man's name to save his life) announced the participants, and smirked with pride as he noted the determined look in Sakura's eyes; while it was true Sakura was in her twelve-year-old body, her psyche was that of an adults'.

Already knowing who would win this match, Naruto glanced around the field, observing some interesting things, such as the Iwa-nins- _'They actually made it this time?'_ Naruto mused to himself- who were glaring holes into his head. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto observed the team, noticing that the jounin-sensei of the team was in his late thirties, early forties, which meant he was still an impressionable teen during the third Shinobi War. The boy couldn't resist teasing- it was mocking, really, but Naruto wouldn't admit that to anyone- the jounin and so looked the jounin in the eye with a smirk. This sent the jounin into a silent hissy-fit, seeing as Naruto no longer had the whisker marks from Kyuubi, and his radiant blonde hair and ocean deep blue eyes were a perfect replica of his father's. He could see that Sandaime was looking at the Iwa-nin, no doubt wondering what had sent the man into his fit.

Turning his gaze, Naruto was shaking with barely repressed snickers, catching the attention of his other teammate. Said teammate looked over to Naruto with questioning eyes, and Naruto slyly pointed to his left. Onyx eyes looked to where the pointed finger led, and upon seeing the sight, the Uchiha just stopped himself from face-palming himself. It was obvious what was making his younger teammate have stitches; Naruto had clearly antagonized the poor Iwa-nin, since he was a miniature clone of the Yondaime. Sighing, Sasuke shook his head and looked back towards Sakura's match, leaving his teammate to continue his observations.

And observing he was. Looking around the field once more, he noticed straight ahead of him was Kotetsu- the chuunin he usually saw at the gate- who was looking straight at him. Raising an eyebrow, Naruto discreetly tapped his right thigh twice with his right index and middle finger. Kotetsu responded with two taps to his right shoulder with his left index and middle fingers. A foxy grin crept upon Naruto's face when he saw Kotetsu's reply. The Hangyaku had created a base in Konoha, which instantly brightened the blonde's mood.

He nudged Sasuke, signing to him that there was a base here. Sasuke's eyes widened, searching Naruto's for any sign of lies. The blonde boy merely pointed straight ahead of himself, leading scrutinizing onyx eyes to a slightly shocked Chuunin's. To show that he was a part of the Hangyaku, he signed in the language known only to the members, the language that was taught to them as soon as the Leader was sure they were loyal to the cause.

Sasuke relaxed at that, and nodded his head, reassuring not just himself, but Kotetsu himself, who was slightly shocked the Uchiha and the Kyuubi container were part of the Hangyaku. All through this, Naruto had been watching what had transpired between the two. He smiled slightly as a part of the weight on his shoulders was lifted. It was going to be easier to complete his mission now that he knew there was at least one more person in Konoha who was fighting for their cause alongside him. Inwardly, he wondered how long it would take Kotetsu to find out that they weren't just some meager team from the future base of the Hangyaku, but the famed team Ayatsuru. For sure, Naruto was looking forward to this realization.

Returning his attention back towards the fighting grounds, Naruto winced as he saw Sakura punch Ino with a chakra infused punch, right into her jaw. Needless to say, Naruto's reaction was one of the calmer ones.

As Sakura's punch Ino, said girl flew into the wall behind her with a resounding crack. A smoke screen came from the wall, and the room waited with bated breath for it to clear. When it did, there wasn't anyone in that room who didn't feel a little pity for the Yamanaka girl; poor Ino was on the ground, completely unconscious, and as Naruto observed the blonde's condition more closely, he whistled. There were light lacerations all over her legs and arms, and some serious bruises there as well, the most noticeable one being the bruise that was forming on her jaw.

"That'll be a shiner," Naruto commented to Sasuke, who nodded in agreement. "And to think, she went light on that punch." Sasuke nodded again, the two aware that most eyes were on them, most of them enlarged at hearing the two boys talk. If that was a light punch, they sure didn't want to see what a hard one was. The crowd could only wonder if one of the boys had been punched that hard by her as they turned their attention to the fighting grounds once more.

"Gekkou-san," Sakura said, getting the proctor's attention. ("Gekkou Hayate!" Naruto cheered to himself, finally remembering the proctor's name). "Are you going to call the match?" She asked.

Hayate blinked, before nodding. "Winner, Haruno *cough* Sakura of Konohagakure, due to *cough* K.O." Hayate announce, coughing again.

Grinning, Sakura strolled up the stairs to her teammates, taking the open spot on Naruto's right. Some were surprised, seeing as how Sakura would usually take any opportunity to sit by Sasuke who was, oddly enough, on the blonde's left, sitting as if they were brothers of sort. That was, of course, interrupted by one Rock Lee.

"That was a most youthful battle Sakura-san!" Lee proclaimed loudly, Naruto cupping his ears at the volume of Lee's voice, which did not go unnoticed. "Your battle was most excellent and well-planned! You must be the strongest of your squad!"

Sakura chuckled, seeing the pain Lee was causing Naruto's eardrums. "Arigatou, Lee," Sakura replied. "But, I'm not the strongest on my team." She enjoyed seeing the look of shock on Lee's face, as well as everyone in the room who was watching (basically everyone, even a certain pedo-snake that doesn't need to be brought up).

"Surely you are the strongest after your youthful show of the Flames of Youth, Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed, getting a shake of a head from Sakura.

"Iie," Sakura told him, smiling. "I'm actually the weakest of my team." Everyone's eyes went towards the two male genin on Sakura's squad, and sweat-dropped as they saw the two playing Jan-Ken-Pon. When Sasuke won with his paper covering Naruto's rock, Naruto growled in his throat before turning to Lee.

"You know what's not youthful Lee?" He asked the bowl-haired member of Team Nine. "The volume of your voice. I can't hear out of my right ear right now, y'know?" Naruto told the genin that didn't know, and said genin started apologizing to Naruto in the ear that he couldn't hear out of. That stopped though, when Lee was called for his match with Gaara.

"Alright, the match between Rock Lee of Konohagakure and Sabaku no Gaara of Sunagakure shall begin." Hayate announced as he jumped out of the way of the darting sand, courtesy of one Ichibi container.

Naruto frowned slightly as he watched his brother-in-all-but-blood beat up his fellow comrade. He really would have to fix Gaara's seal; the priest wasn't doing anything good for his psyche, that's for sure.

Zoning out for a minute, Naruto zoned back in when he saw Gaara's Sabaku Kyuu encase the almost unconscious Lee. With a flick of his wrist, Naruto discreetly, yet hurriedly, latched onto Lee with his puppet strings and yanked him out of the way. Those in the room who hadn't seen the string yank Lee out of the way looked around, wondering who did the deed that would get Lee disqualified. For those who had seen the string, though, didn't get a chance to connect the string back to its owner before it was disconnected.

When Gaara saw that he hadn't killed Lee, he sent his Sand after him, only to be stopped by a wall of wind. The red head sent a glare to his elder sister, who shook her head franticly, afraid of what her little brother might do to her.

"Proctor-san," Naruto called out (once again he couldn't remember his name). Hayate looked up towards Naruto, coughing into his hand. "This match can no longer go on any further. Rock lee is on no shape or form to continue." The audience looked over towards the now unconscious Rock Lee, who was resting gently on his back.

Hayate- who didn't know why the kid didn't remember his name- nodded. "The match goes *cough* Sabaku no Gaara of Sunagakure." The proctor announced, and Gaara shunshined back towards his siblings. Naruto stared at the other Jinchuuriki who in return stared at him. Naruto signed in a different code, one that was created for Jinchuuriki's and Jinchuuriki's only.

"_I'll fix your seal for you,"_ Naruto signed to Gaara who, while not showing it, had a quick flash of hope flash through his eyes.

"_When?" _Gaara asked. _"And why?"_

"_Tonight when the moon is high; meet me at the Fourth," _Naruto told Gaara, who nodded minutely. _"Why? Because you're my brother, someone like me,"_ Naruto replied. He watched as the red head grasped the meaning of what he said, and the red head nodded.

Naruto smiled, and noted with satisfaction that no one, not even his teammates, observed their conversation. Naruto was glad that Shukaku had managed to get through to Gaara, if only for a little while, to teach him the code. Undoubtedly, Gaara would've understood the gestures he was making (it was programmed into a Jinchuuriki's subconscious). But, since Shukaku taught him, Naruto wouldn't have to teach Gaara himself. Knowing that Gaara knew how to sign reassured Naruto somewhat. The mission was going well; they knew that Orochimaru would attack during Gaara's battle, and the mission that everyone of the Hangyaku knew to do when they went back to the past, to change things, was going smoothly. As soon as he altered Gaara's seal, his brother would be able to sleep, and he would get his friend of the future a bit early; he admitted the latter reason was selfish, but he and Gaara had been best friends, even when he was in Hangyaku; whenever he had an extended amount of free time, he- occasionally with Sakura and Sasuke- would go to Suna to visit his best friend. He almost wished that he hadn't been assigned the mission, but then thoughts of his jiji- he only called the Sandaime that when he was alone- and how he would die to stop Orochimaru were brought back. He mentally shook his head; he needed to stay focused on the mission, which would be hard enough.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Meanwhile, a few people were wondering how Lee had escaped- mainly Kakashi. When Naruto spoke up, he was immediately suspicious. What had happened to his students while they were in the Forest of Death? '_Surely it couldn't have been that life changing.' _Kakashi thought to himself. _'After all, they were only in there for two days; that wasn't nearly enough time for his team to become as powerful as they were now. Unless…'_ Kakashi narrowed his eye(s). _'Is Kyuubi the reason for this sudden increase in strength?' _It would explain how they had become so powerful, but that would mean Naruto would have been in contact with the fox a lot more than he was letting on.

The masked Jounin moved his eyes towards his wayward student. He was looking over towards the Iwa-nins (again if he was correct) and trying to contain his laughter. Kakashi sighed; Naruto was too much like his mother for his own good. Kushina was always causing mischief around Konoha, and while the majority of the population had enjoyed her pranks, they certainly didn't like Naruto's.

Unfortunately, the infamous shinobi put a halt to his thoughts as the next match was announced on the board.

0o0-0o0-0o0

"The next match will be between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka; if the two participants could please come down." Hayate announced, eliciting a sigh from our favorite blond. Standing up from his comfortable spot was, in the words of out favorite lazy bum, troublesome. If he hadn't thought it would draw attention to himself, Naruto would have said it aloud.

Walking down to the field, Naruto saw that Kiba was already there, a confident smirk on his face, just like the first time.

"You're going down, dobe!" Kiba proclaimed loudly, making Naruto wince slightly at the volume. Glancing towards Akamaru, Naruto saw the nin-dog eying him with a little unease. _'Looks like he found out.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'I'm actually kind of surprised that Kiba hasn't found out yet… I always knew Akamaru was smarter than Kiba.'_ Naruto snorted at that, amused, garnering a weird look from the proctor and Kiba.

"Let the *cough* match begin!" Hayate announced, jumping out of the way. It was Kiba who initiated the first attack.

"Fang over fang!" Kiba shouted, his dual attack with Akamaru heading straight towards Naruto. Said person merely sidestepped the attack, his eyes calculating and alert. Kiba attacked again, producing the same results.

'_This is getting us nowhere. He keeps on using the same attack, and while I can dodge them now, my body isn't physically capable of what it was before. If I don't end this soon, I won't make it to the next round. Mendoku se.' _Naruto thought, pulling out some puppet-string wire he had personally made a couple of years ago. It was made for him to use specifically, though he could easily change the workings so someone else would be able to use it as well.

Going over his plan once more, Naruto nodded to himself- the nod being barely perceptible to anyone save for those with keen eyesight- and commenced his plan. With a twitch of his fingers, Naruto had discreetly coordinated his strings at certain angles along the ground and walls of the fields. The prep work done, Naruto created a Kage Bunshin, who immediately henged into a pebble on the floor, aware of it boss' plan, and held onto the strings.

Satisfied with his clone's position, Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and grabbed a kunai with his right hand. Kiba must've assumed that Naruto was going to fight him up close, which meant that he hadn't seen the small yet intricate seal that was placed on the handle of the kunai.

Running towards Kiba with speed Naruto had because of the many chasing sessions he had had in Konoha, Naruto aimed his kunai as if he was going for a hit. Kiba held his kunai in defense, waiting for the bladed attack that didn't come. No, instead of a clang, there was a thwop. The Genins watched the fight, confused as to why there was a yellow slip of paper on Kiba's forehead. On the other hand, the Chuunins, Jounins, ANBU and Hokage watched intrigued, wondering what the village pariah was going to do.

Naruto, after successfully landing the seal on his opponent's forehead, leaped away. From his position, Naruto pushed a little chakra into the seal and watched as Kiba, whose back was slightly slumped, jolted back straight as if he had been hit by lightning. Not understanding what had happened to him, Kiba just shook off the shock and charged Naruto. As soon as Kiba was in punching distance, Naruto pushed a little chakra into his seal again and watched as Kiba jumped from the shock. But this time, instead if just staying in place, Kiba jumped backwards, right into one of the strings. Now Kiba falls on his butt and Naruto, with his incredible speed, pressed a kunai to the dog boy's throat, ending the match.

Sadly- in your case, anyway- you were mistaken. No, instead of falling on his butt like the idiot he can sometimes be, Kiba is blasted upwards so that he's level with the audience, who is watching with wide eyes (slightly in some cases, but you get what I mean, right?).

Falling back towards the ground, Kiba is, once again, blasted into the air, this time at a different angle. And, for the next couple of minutes, everyone watches as Kiba's body becomes a living pinball. It was at this time though, that Ino brought up an interesting fact.

"Hey, where did Akamaru go?"

Everybody looked towards Kiba to see if he had his nin-dog on his person, which he, fortunately for the dog, did not. Looking around, the audience tried to spot the dog that might be hidden somewhere along the walls. When everyone hears a snort, they turn towards Sakura who's looking a certain patch of space on the field.

"Figures," She said, shaking her head. The audience moved their eyes to where Sakura was looking, and sweat drop at the sight. There sat Naruto, sitting halfway up the wall, his back _against_ the wall and legs crossed, with Akamaru in his lap. Said dog was currently yipping happily as he was being scratched behind his ears.

"I totally understand where you're coming from, Akamaru," Naruto said sympathetically. Another string of yips, ending with Naruto nodding in agreement, as if he understood what the dog was saying.

Looking up, Naruto decided that Kiba had been blasted around the field enough, and so he retracted the strings from his clone, who puffed away unnoticed. With another flick of his wrists, all the strings were broken, and Kiba flopped to the floor, unconscious before he even hit it.

Hayate, after confirming that Kiba was unconscious, announced the match. "The match between *cough* between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba goes *cough* to Uzumaki Naruto." There were cheers for Naruto as he walked back up towards his team.

Sitting in between his teammates, he nudged Sakura. "Do something about it?" Naruto pleaded, and, while most didn't know what Naruto was talking about, Sakura did.

She nodded. "I'll make sure it gets done Naru." She smiled at said blond, who nodded before leaning back against the wall and falling asleep again.

0o0-0o0-0o0

About half an hour later, Naruto was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder. Naruto opened his eyes drowsily, looking into the face of the person who woke him up from his nap: Sasuke.

"All the matches are done," Sasuke informed him, to which Naruto nodded. Getting up, Naruto stretched, his back cracking as it was realigned.

"Alright," The voice of Gekkou Hayate called. "Will all the match winners please come down and draw a *cough* number."

The winning genin made their way towards Hayate, who was holding a box. Naruto was first, and he pulled out the number one. Next was Sasuke, who drew four. And this happened until all the participants had drawn a number.

"Here are the matches for the finals: 1. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji; 2. Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino; 3. Sabaku no Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke; 4. Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari. The winner of the Nara/Sabaku match will fight Sabaku no Kankuro." Hayate announced the line-up for the finals before coughing into his hand again.

"Man, didn't think he could go that long without coughing," Naruto commented, to which his two teammates nodded in agreement. Those around Team Seven merely sweat dropped at the blond ninja's comments.

"There will be a two month time period between now and the final match to allow foreign dignitaries to travel here." The Hokage said, surprising Naruto slightly. Two months? That was certainly different from the original timeline, but Naruto wasn't complaining; this would give him and his team enough time to get situated to their new base here in Konoha, and for them to broadcast the Hangyaku. Without him knowing, a slightly feral grin spread across Naruto's face, scaring some of the surrounding shinobi.

Everybody was dismissed after that, and Ayatsuru split before they could be interrogated with the increasing number of questions their peers had. Shunshining away before anyone could trap them, the three arrived at the abandoned Uchiha grounds, where they were sure no one was going to find them.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Naruto said, trying to get away to his apartment before Sasuke did something unnecessary like telling him he could stay with him. That wouldn't be good.

"Where do you think you're going?" The Uchiha asked with his arms crossed, plenty aware of what his leader was doing.

"Why, I'm going back to my apartment, where else?" Naruto gave the two a fake smile before disappearing with a flash of yellow.

A look was shared between the two remaining members of Ayatsuru before they dashed off, tracking down their leader.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Right now, Naruto was henged as a villager, and eating dango with a pot of green tea. Sure, dango wasn't as awesome as ramen, but it was still pretty damn good. Our favorite blonde here was trying to act normal, knowing he had dangerous people tracking him down. Maybe he shouldn't have set off that prank in the ANBU headquarters?… Nah, it was totally worth it. Naruto snorted to himself inwardly; seeing the ANBU in hot pink armor and yellow ANBU pants and tank tops was absolutely hilarious. Their faces were priceless. He knew that if he was caught, though, he probably wouldn't make it out alive.

Paying for his meal, Naruto left the dango shop and started wandering; technically, he hadn't been here in over ten years. It was to his surprise that, while wandering, he ran into the stoic fate-obsessed Hyuuga Neji. Neji, who was a genius, didn't need his Byakugan to see the henge over Naruto.

"Why are you walking around in a henge, Naruto?" Neji asked, walking instep with Naruto.

"Chakra control practice," Naruto lied, not being able to come up with something better. "I suck at it."

"Right, you suck at chakra control and you were easily able to focus your chakra into even amounts throughout the strings." Neji deadpanned.

Naruto laughed nervously, knowing he'd been caught. _'Jeez, I didn't expect to be figured out this early.' _Naruto pouted slightly, amusing the watching Hyuuga.

"Well?" Neji asked, waiting for the answer he knew he was going to get.

"If I told you I was hiding from some people, would you believe me?" Naruto asked, getting a raised eyebrow from Neji.

"What did you do now?" The Hyuuga prodigy asked, knowing that if he was henged, it had to be really bad.

"Let's just say the ANBU have gotten new wardrobes." Naruto cryptically replied. Neji's eyes widened. He had seen the ANBU fleetingly, but he definitely caught the flashes of hot pink and yellow they were wearing.

Neji did the only thing he knew to do in this situation: he snorted in laughter, his eyes holding amusement.

"Good luck with that," Neji told the blonde who sighed.

"Thanks, though I'm not as worried about them as I am about the other people chasing me." Naruto told Neji, who looked at him with a hint of incredulity.

"Who _else _did you piss off?" Neji asked.

"Well, I didn't exactly piss them off, it's just that they were going to do something that was really unnecessary, and I really didn't want that to happen, so I sort of left." Naruto explained, eliciting a sigh from the Hyuuga.

"Who are you running from?" Neji asked, shaking his head mentally at the blonde.

"I believe that would be us." A somewhat masculine voice said from behind the two talking shinobi. Turning around, Naruto and Neji saw Sasuke and Sakura, who weren't looking very pleased.

"We've been looking for you for _three _hours, Naruto," The anger in Sakura's tone was clear, and Naruto slowly started backing away from his two teammates, who walked closer towards him.

Knowing that he would get caught if he didn't run right now, Naruto turned on his heel and began running, only to be caught by an arm encircling his chest. Looking over his shoulder, Naruto saw it was Sasuke who had trapped him. Naruto glared at the Uchiha, who merely smirked back before tossing the blonde over his shoulder.

"Hey! Let me go!" Naruto whined, trying futilely to get out of the older boy's grip.

"If I do that, you'll run away again." Sasuke replied.

"Of course I will; I don't want to go back there!"

"What's wrong with my Clan grounds?"

"It stinks!"

"What did you say?"

"It stinks! Ow! Don't hit my head teme!"

"Shut up, dobe!"

"Why don't you?"

Thonk! Thonk!

"Both of you shut up!"

"Hai…"

Neji sweat dropped as he listened to the retreating form of Naruto being carted off by his teammates. Even though he knew the famous blonde captain for twenty-five years, Naruto still remained the same, whether he was twenty-six or thirteen.

Sighing, Neji began walking again. He needed to prepare for tomorrow's meeting…

0o0-0o0-0o0

There you have it! Soo sorry it took so long. But I think I'm pretty much over my writer's block now, so I'll try to update at least twice a month for sure. Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

Hallo, I am back! Earlier this time, too. I don't really have anything to say, though thanks are given out to those who've reviewed- thanks a lot. Getting reviews always makes my days. As for my other story, Going Back, I will be posting what I'm going to do for that story soon- you just got to wait a little bit. Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

Also, there is going to be a scene that may seem like it's going to be yaoi. I promise it will _not be yaoi._ I've learned that it's better to warm the readers ahead of time. You guys can be a tough crowd when you want to be.

Enjoy!

Legend

"Talking/jutsus"

'_Thinking/signing'_

"Bijuu talking/special effect noises"

'_Bijuu thinking'_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned an important mission to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

It was a sight for those in Konoha, indeed, as they saw what was to be a lasting memory. Their beloved Uchiha Clan survivor currently had the- loudly protesting- demon brat slung over his shoulder with their pink-haired teammate walking right along with the Uchiha, a scroll in her hand. As to why things were the way they were with the team, the villagers really didn't have a clue. All they could do was watch as the trio of 'genin' passed them by, seemingly heading for the Uchiha District.

Naruto was put out, to say the least. He really didn't want to go back to the Uchiha Clan grounds; for one, it stank of blood and gore, even after five years of time. And then there were the memories he had here that he really didn't want to remember… Besides, he liked his old apartment; he was kind of looking forward to living there after nine years.

Sighing, Naruto gave up trying to escape Sasuke's clutches, knowing it would be futile to resist. If he behaved, maybe they'd let him have one night alone in his apartment.

Deciding to take the risk Naruto spoke. "One night," He said.

Knowing what his leader was talking about, Sasuke responded, "Why?" It was a valid question; why let the one he was grateful to live in such a dump when he could provide him with everything?

"Memories," The blonde replied, knowing he'd stricken a cord when he said this. His tow teammates knew that the rundown apartment he had called home for so long was precious to him. "Just one night is all I'm asking for." He said. "Besides," Naruto added with a smirk. "There are, most likely, a whole bunch of things you've missed in my apartment." The blonde's smirk grew larger as he felt Sasuke tense underneath him.

"What do you mean?" The raven-haired boy asked.

"Oh, OI don't know. Maybe the fact that what I consider most valuable is hidden with complex seals that I just so happened to learn when I was younger?" Naruto was silently laughing, by now, at the last Uchiha's reaction. On the outside to whoever was watching, it would appear that the Uchiha was stoic, and was feeling nothing. But Naruto knew better; after working with Sasuke so long, he knew how to differentiate his teammate's body language. At the moment, Sasuke was angry, though mostly annoyed.

"Fine," The Uchiha gave in, knowing that his leader would, in one way or another, manage to get to his apartment tonight, with or without him and Sakura knowing. Said female just sighed at her tow male teammate's interaction. She was used to this by now, of course, but it was still tiring just watching the two argue when all three of them knew who would win in the end.

Arriving at the Uchiha District five minutes later, Sasuke navigated his way through the house with ease, leading him and Sakura (Naruto was still slung on his shoulder, much to the blonde's chagrin). Sasuke stopped when he arrived in front of a large door, to which he slid to the right, leading them into what was the living room.

Walking inside, Sasuke pulled Naruto off of his shoulder and placed him gently onto a cushion.

"I swear you're bipolar," Naruto said to the Uchiha. "One minute you're rough, the next you're all soft."

"So, would you have preferred me to drop you on your ungrateful ass?" Sasuke asked the blonde, a smirk on his face. "It is a hardwood floor, you know."

"It wouldn't be anything new to me," Naruto retorted, and the smirk on his teammate's face dropped while Sakura winced. Their blonde leader's past was told (reluctantly by said blonde) and both were surprised that he had stayed in Konoha that long.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Naruto suddenly tensed. He glanced around nervously, as if someone was going to attack him.

"What's the matter Naruto?" Sakura asked, watching her teammate with a slightly worried glance. Slightly because she knew her teammate could take care of himself, but that didn't mean he would be going up against a civilian. For all she knew he could be hiding from the ANBU because of a prank he pulled. While there was doubt Naruto could actually sneak into ANBU Headquarters, there was still the chance he could.

"Well, I kind of pulled a prank earlier today…" Naruto started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Sasuke sighed, while Sakura narrowed he eyes.

"You didn't happen to prank the ANBU, did you?" The pinkette asked, her tone accusing him.

Naruto blinked. "How'd you know?" He asked before quickly placing a hand over his mouth, realizing that he had just admitted to doing the prank whilst there were ANBU very close to the Uchiha District.

"You never learn do you, Naruto?" Sakura scolded the blonde, who had the decency to look a little shameful at getting scolded. Sighing, Sakura asked the question that both she and Sasuke wanted to know: "What did you do?"

Naruto didn't respond right away. Apparently the ANBU had heard that he had heard the word 'prank' and immediately connected the blonde as to why they were wearing yellow and hot pink uniforms today.

Glancing around to try and change the subject, Naruto looked at the clock and his eyes bulged. Jumping up, Naruto quickly made his way to the exit.

"Oi, Naruto! Where are you going?" Sakura asked, slightly annoyed that Naruto hadn't answered her question.

"To stop a tanuki!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder, quickening his pace. He only had two hours to swing by his apartment to set everything up before he had to meet Gaara. There was a lot to do, and he had a limited time. Naruto wondered if he should use the Shunshin no Jutsu to get to his apartment. While he'd have more time, he would also be informing his ANBU followers that he knew this jutsu, and while he was all for using jutsus, he didn't want to be interrogated so quickly.

Making a Kage Bunshin, Naruto used the smoke that came with it shunshin to his apartment. Meanwhile, the two clones he made would be doing the jobs he assigned them; one running back to his apartment so he wouldn't look suspicious, the other running to the store with a henge on and grabbing some ink. He was pretty sure that Sakura and Sasuke had sealed up the ink he had up at his apartment, and knew that if he went back now, he might not make it in time for his meeting. It was a good thing that he always had three pots of ink on him at all time, in case he needed to make new seals up on the go, or if he just wanted to try out some new seals. Either way, he had it.

Arriving inside his apartment, Naruto flicked on the light on and immediately set to work. Unsealing one of the scrolls he had in his kunai pouch, he took out the pots of ink (he didn't know how much he'd need, but it was good to have it and not need it rather than need it while not having it) and a stack of thin paper, which he had found were the best for making seals. Reaching into the scroll, Naruto also took out his brush. He'd been using this one ever since the toads had hooked him on sealing; he also found out this was the brush that his Ero-Sennin used to make seals. Naruto had been using the brush ever since.

Dipping the brush in the first pot of ink, Naruto set to the task of making the seal. As he painted the fluid strokes of his seal, he remembered how he had made this seal specifically for Gaara; he knew he'd be going back into the past, of course. It was just a matter of time before he was sent back, and so, he had made seals for all of the Jinchuuriki, knowing that when he went into the past again, he'd meet up with all of them.

Putting the finishing touches on the seal, Naruto checked over it for any mistakes he might've made. There were none; in fact, this was probably the best version of the seal he'd made yet.

Satisfied with his work, Naruto began tidying up the apartment, knowing that both he and Gaara would be too tried to do it later. Thanking Kami for the fresh food in the fridge and cupboards (Iruka must have been by, thank god) and the clean sheets and towels in the cupboard, Naruto went about making an expansion seal, one of the more useful seals he had created. The expansion seal was created so that an object could increase its size or decrease it. It also could be used on living creatures; he remembered using it on Kei, Chiyoko's (the head medic for the Hangyaku) ten month-old baby. Naruto chuckled to himself; he remembered how Kei had started crawling after Sasuke, trying to pick him up. Now, why Kei had chosen to go after the Uchiha, Naruto really didn't know, but the results were hilarious. By the time Naruto had reversed the expansion seal to revert Kei back to his original size, Sasuke was on his back, trying to catch his breath. Sasuke wouldn't talk to him for the rest of the day after that. While it was boring not talking to him, putting the seal on baby Kei had had one of the best results he had ever produced and he didn't regret it.

Finishing the expansion seal, Naruto walked over to his bed (which already had been made) and placed the seal on the bottom of the bed. Channeling chakra into the seal, the blonde watched with satisfaction as the bed tripled in size. It was now a lot bigger, and definitely comfortable, if Naruto had anything to say about it. He then sealed up his brush (after washing it) and the ten ink pots (his Kage Bunshin had bought him seven other bottles besides the three he had) back into the scroll.

Looking at his clock, Naruto saw that he had fifty minutes before he needed to leave. _'Impressive timing,'_ Naruto thought to himself as he made his way towards his kitchen. Looking into his fridge, he noticed that he had the ingredients to make Gaara's (the Gaara he had known in the future, anyway) favorite meal: teriyaki chicken with nectarines and white rice with sake and chocolate cake for dessert. This had been told in secrecy between the two Jinchuuriki while Naruto had visited Suna on a political mission for Konoha. Gaara had told him (with a blush that nearly had Naruto laughing) that their was this one restaurant he went to once a month where they had served this dish. When the red head had learned that Naruto could cook, and was a pretty good one, he practically demanded the blonde make it for him. Every time he went there since, he'd be required to make it for the red head. Naruto supposed it was Gaara's inner child that had never been shown in front of others, but he complied, happy that he was making his best friend happy.

So caught up in his thoughts, Naruto hadn't realized that he was almost done with both dinner and dessert when he snapped out of it. Creating a Kage Bunshin, Naruto left it to finish dinner while he left the apartment.

Jumping over the roof tops, Naruto quickly made his way to the Hokage Mountain. Being the first one of the two to arrive, Naruto relaxed and viewed Konoha; the last time he had done this was the night before he had left to join the Hangyaku. He stood there a while, enjoying the beauty his home had produced.

Five minutes after he arrived, Gaara arrived, silently stepping behind him. Turning around to face his fellow Jinchuuriki, Naruto gave him a soft smile. "You ready to get some sleep?" He asked, knowing that Gaara would pick up on what he was saying.

The red head nodded, and Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. He shunshined back to his apartment where the clone had just finished dinner. Needless to say, the redhead had been surprised. But since the redhead merely showed any emotion, he raised an eyebrow.

Naruto shrugged to the raised eyebrow. "What? I thought you'd like some food before putting the seal on. I can promise you that my cooking isn't poisoned. In fact, many have said it to actually be good."

Sitting at the table, Naruto smiled when he saw Gaara sit in the chair across from him. The clone served them their food, and out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Gaara drool slightly. Silently snickering, Naruto started to eat with Gaara soon following. While neither of them talked at all during dinner, it was a comfortable silence, each knowing that the other wouldn't discriminate against the other for something they had no say in.

The two finished dinner soon after, the whole chocolate cake being consumed (cough*gaara*cough). Naruto had the clone start cleaning up while he addressed Gaara on the seal.

"Now," Naruto said, going from cheerful to serious. "Show me where your current seal is." Gaara complied, taking off his shirt to reveal that the seal was on his heart.

"No offense- wait, yes I want to be offensive- the person who applied the seal was pathetic. Anyone who has a decent understanding if seals know not to put it there." Naruto shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"Alright, I'm going to place my seal on your shoulder. My seal is designed to work like mine, except without my soul being taken to Shinigami-sama." Naruto informed Gaara, who nodded. "You'll be able to sleep regularly at night, and Shukaku's chakra will leak into yours; you'll still have control over sand, as it is Shukaku's element. Also, the priest won't be in contact with you anymore." The confused look on Gaara's face made Naruto sigh a little.

"You see, you have Shukaku sealed inside of you, but you also have the insane priest sealed in there as well. It's also the one you call 'Mother'." Dawning showed in the red head's eyes, and so Naruto continued.

"You will no longer have to fulfill the bloodlust that the priest is demanding of you. The downside to this seal though is that its going to hurt like a bitch, and I'm going to pass out right afterwards because of the chakra requirement. Do you still want to have this new seal?" Naruto asked. Gaara nodded, and Naruto picked up the seal. He then took off his shirt, to which Gaara raised an eyebrow at.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know I'm straight, thank you very much. I needed to take off my shirt because, like I said earlier, the seal doesn't require for my soul to be taken, but a lengthy amount of blood needs to be sacrificed. Now, go lie on the bed on your stomach while I go find a sharp knife."

Gaara did as he was instructed and leaned down on the bed on his stomach. He was glad that he had fed blood to his mother before coming to meet him. 'Mother' was pleased with the blood and was currently sleeping. Realizing that the 'mother' was in fact the insane priest, Gaara was glad that the new seal would block it out. Of course, Gaara would never admit this to the blonde, let alone say it.

"Alright, I found a big enough knife," Naruto said, walking over to Gaara. "This will take only a minute, but you cannot move. Moving would, most likely, kill both of us, and if it didn't, the ANBU would, assuming we were taking off our seals to let our bijuu free." Gaara nodded, and Naruto made a giant slash on his right shoulder to get the blood sacrifice.

Wincing as his skin was cut open, Naruto was quick to pour the required amount onto the seal. Seeing that he had enough, Naruto pulled his shoulder up a little bit, and Kyuubi's chakra quickly healed the cut. Placing his hands on the seal he had created, Naruto started pouring chakra into the seal. The seal itself started glowing, and Naruto felt Gaara tensing up. He didn't blame his fellow Jinchuuriki; he knew this was really painful when applied.

After what seemed a very long time, the minute was up, and Naruto stopped the flow of chakra to Gaara's seal. Observing his work, Naruto noted with pride it had been applied perfectly.

"Alright…the seal was applied…successfully…" Naruto fell unconscious die to the loss of chakra and blood. Gaara, who was about to collapse himself, sent some of his sand to turn off the light and lock the door before he, too, gave into the comforting blackness.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Sasuke and Sakura were currently walking on the main street of the village, heading towards their blonde-haired teammates apartment so they could catch breakfast before heading to the meeting. They were interrupted when Temari came up to them, worry etched onto her features.

"Have you seen Gaara?" She asked, worry also in her voice. "He left last night, telling us that he was going to get blood for 'Mother'." Temari flinched slightly at the mention of the bijuu, but she continued on. "But he never came back."

At that time, Kankuro came up, shaking his head. "I haven't found him either. Baki-sensei's going to be pissed."

Seeing the looks on the Suna shinobi's faces, Sakura spoke. "Maybe Naruto knows," She said. "We're heading over to his apartment right now; do you want to come?" The two Sabaku's nodded quickly, and the four of them walked to Naruto's apartment.

Arriving at Naruto's apartment, they walked up to the third floor where he resided. At his door, Sasuke took out a spare key to Naruto's apartment.

"You have a key to his apartment?" Temari asked with a raised eyebrow. Sasuke nodded before explaining.

"I have a spare key for the times where he's still asleep and we have to wake him up. There are also times when he locks the door because he's injured, and knowing that the villagers wouldn't hesitate to attack him while he was weakened, I have a key to get in an get him out before they get to him." Sasuke explained to the two appalled shinobi. This treatment was even worse than what they gave Gaara back in Suna.

Sakura nodded at their shocked looks. "The villagers here are incredibly hateful. We wouldn't even blame him for defecting the village. He's been beaten so many times here its amazing that he's still alive." Sakura explained. Normally she wouldn't tell them information about Naruto, but these two were a special exception; their little brother was Gaara, Jinchuuriki of Shukaku, and it was important that they know that Naruto was a Jinchuuriki as well.

Unlocking the door, the four stepped into the apartment and walked in. What greeted their eyes was a surprise.

There was a bed- one larger than Naruto's- in the middle of the room, but that's now what shocked the quartet. No, what surprised them was how the two were on the bed, Gaara hugging Naruto like a teddy bear. Personally, the girls thought it was cute, for they all knew that the tow Jinchuuriki were both straight.

Sasuke though, had figured out why Naruto had wanted to come back to his apartment for one night. "He's made a new seal." Sasuke stated to the rest of the group.

"What?" Temari asked, blinking.

"The reason why Gaara went out last night was because, apparently, Naruto told him he had a new seal for him. Undoubtedly, this new seal's much better for Gaara; you'll see a big change in his attitude towards you and the others of your village soon." Sasuke explained.

By then, both Temari and Kankuro were looking over at Gaara's right shoulder where his new seal was located. The elegant lines formed all over his right shoulder, looking like an exotic tattoo.

"I think we should leave them be for a little while," Sakura told the group. "Generally, when Naruto makes a seal to seal something, they take up an enormous amount of chakra and blood. It also hurts the person being sealed. It'd be best to let them sleep a little while longer." Finishing her explanation, Sakura left two soldier pills on the kitchen table and walked back out the door, the others following her. Sasuke locked the door again and the four decided on going to breakfast before going back to pick up their Jinchuuriki's.

0o0-0o0-0o0

And that's a wrap ya'll! What'd ya think? I liked writing this chapter. Now, the scene where they find Gaara and Naruto was based off true facts. I've been on trips before where I've had to share a bed with my big sis. When we woke up in the morning, we'd be in the position I used for Naruto and Gaara. So no biggie.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Gah! I totally apologize for not updating in like, forever. Really, I am sorry! I've been so busy with school and stuff; I'm not allowed to get c's. C's = grounded. Grounded = no updating on FF. So, I had to keep up my grades!

Anyways, I'm not going to keep you much longer. Just a heads up, I have a contest that I'm adding to this chapter, its not that long, but it'll make the chapter contents a little longer. Please take a lookie!

But I found out what Hangyaku actually means!… Treason. xD I 3 that.

Now, Onward and Enjoy!

Legend

"Talking/Jutsus"

'_thinking/signing'_

"**Bijuu talking/special effect noises"**

'_**Bijuu thinking'**_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto woke up with a yawn, feeling very content and warm. Making to get out of bed, Naruto found that he couldn't move. Frowning a little, he looked to the source of his confinement and smiled. Naruto remembered the first time that Gaara had slept after having Shukaku's soul; he looked peaceful that time, but this time, he looked even more peaceful. _'Maybe its because Chiyo-baa-chan didn't have to die this time.' _Naruto thought with a content feeling before sighing. He probably could get a little more sleep before he had to get ready for the day.

_1 hour later_

Naruto awoke again an hour later, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after this. Looking at the clock, Naruto was surprised to see it was already eight in the morning.

'_That sealing must have taken a lot out of me, for me to actually sleep this long is rare. I haven't slept in this long since I was twelve.' _Naruto thought to himself. Moving to shake Gaara awake, Naruto noticed that Gaara's sand didn't halt him at all. _'Must be because I helped Gaara out,'_ the blonde mused, shaking the sleeping red-head's shoulder to wake him.

Groggy green eyes met Naruto's bright blue ones as the blonde greeted Gaara. "Ohayou, Gaara."(1) Naruto said, still partially sleepy himself.

Letting go of the blonde, Gaara lightly stretched the kinks out of his body before returning the blonde's greeting. "Ohayou, Naruto."

"Sleep well?" Naruto inquired, getting out of the comfortable bed to change into new, clean ones.

"Yes, I did," Gaara replied, "it was nice to actually be able to sleep for once." Gaara had a small smile on his face that Naruto knew he didn't wear often back in the original timeline. _'But maybe that'll change now that Gaara's seal has been fixed.' _He thought, smiling gently himself.

Going over to the counter where he had his seals placed, Naruto unsealed one with the clothes he had bought yesterday with the money the Council had given them before they left for their permanent mission. Taking out two sets, he handed one of them to Gaara, and then began to strip of his old clothes; though it wasn't much, some of the blood he had used from the cut on his shoulder had splattered onto his pants. Now, while he had traveled in dirty clothes for weeks on end multiple times, whenever he had the chance to wear clean clothes, he always wore them.

Raising an eyebrow, Gaara too began to strip and put on the cleaner clothes. After a few minutes of silence, the red-head asked, "Why do you keep your scrolls out in the open? They could be stolen."

Naruto smiled. "Yes, leaving my scrolls out would be dangerous. But," A mischievous grin appeared on out blonde protagonist's face, "these aren't just normal seals. You see, I've sealed all these seals with an altered blood seal."

"An altered blood seal?" Gaara asked, slightly intrigued.

Naruto nodded. "Yep, altered blood seals. The way the seal is activated is fairly simple; the owner of the seal puts their blood on the seal, and it opens up to the owner's blood only. It can be modified to include family if you choose, but mine are just for me. But that's not what makes these seals special. The reason why I call these seals 'altered blood seals' is because of what happens when someone other than the owner of the seal tries to open it with his blood.

"What happens is that, when the wrong blood is applied, a shock runs through the body, most of the time knocking them unconscious."

"Interesting," Gaara said, grabbing his gourd of sand to place on his back. Smiling widely, Naruto opened the door, and walked out, letting Gaara go behind him.

Once the red-head was out of the apartment, Naruto activated his seals and traps, so that no one could break into his apartment while he was gone. Though he was going to be living in the Uchiha Compound from now on, he still wanted to use his apartment as a work space; after all, it was where he worked on his calligraphy and seals the most.

The two shinobi walked down the main street of the village, heading to a dango stand to grab some breakfast. Over their dango, the two chatted with one another as if they were best friends. It was what the remainder of Team Ayatsuru and the Subaku siblings found themselves looking at.

"Get enough beauty sleep?" Sasuke teased the blonde as he ambled over, a teasing smirk on his face.

"I did in fact," Naruto replied with his nose in the air, making the rest of the group chuckle. "And I look better than you, too." The blonde stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha, who merely chuckled at the blonde's antics, already used to them.

Meanwhile, Temari and Kankuro were checking up on their little brother, to see if what Sasuke said about the new seal on their baby brother was actually working.

"How did you sleep Gaara?" Temari asked. "When we checked up on you earlier, you were out like a light, even though the sun was already up for a couple of hours."

Gaara smiled, surprising his two elder siblings. "I slept very well. The bed was very comfy, and so was my pillow."

Temari giggled while Kankuro chuckled at what their little brother said.

"I'm glad I was so comfy," Naruto replied with a grin, his two teammates smiling as well.

Nodding, Gaara looked to the sky to see what time it was. "It appears we must take our leave for now. We'll come see you again when you're available." Gaara stated, a small smile on his lips.

"Well, we'll catch ya later then, Gaara," Naruto replied, knowing that they had to get to the Hangyaku meeting soon.

Nodding, Gaara walked in the opposite direction of where Naruto's apartment, to the hotel they were staying at for the duration of the Chuunin Exams.

"So the seal was successful, huh?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear Naruto say it anyway, knowing it always made him feel happier when his two teammates took interest in his abilities.

"Yup!" Naruto exclaimed with an incredible brightness that brought smiles to the faces of the remaining two members of the team. Seeing Naruto happy after what he had been through in life was a gratifying feeling for them.

"Gaara was able to sleep great," Naruto continued, "and he slept through the whole night, which shows how well he's adapting to the seal." As Naruto explained more about the seal and its workings, the trio walked to a certain part of the wall between the South and West gates. You would only be able to locate it if you were shown by a Hangyaku member, or, in the trio's case, the ones who found the entrance.

Arriving at the aforementioned place, Naruto did a set of hand seals that opened the entrance to a long path that would lead you out of Konoha and into the forests created by the Shodaime Hokage.

Closing the entrance with the same set of hand seals after all three were across, Naruto led Sasuke and Sakura down the familiar path to the meeting place of the Hangyaku. The trio walked until they came to what seemed to be a clearing. But Naruto wasn't fooled, and neither were Sasuke or Sakura; there was a password which you needed to get in to the Hangyaku HQ.

"Keikoku o totte kaze no tsubasa ni, wareware wa, man-shuuri no tsumi o kuiaratameru shinakereba naranai." (2) Naruto repeated the password phrase to allow entrance to the HQ, knowing it by heart. All of a sudden, it seemed as if the air was rippling, but the trio knew what it meant: they had been accepted into HQ. Part one of their plan was underway.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Being a member of Hangyaku had its ups and downs, at least that's what Neji believed. Today was the perfect example if it: being put on guard duty. No one liked the job, but everyone did their share of the guarding, and it just so happened to be Neji's shift before the meeting they were having today.

It was while he was thinking about the meeting when the entrance to the HQ rippled, alerting to someone's presence. Knowing that everyone had arrived, Neji knew who to expect when they came in through the entrance.

Unfortunately, he was the only one.

So, when the rippling of the entrance started, it put the shinobi inside of the barrier-minus Neji- on guard, with their weapons of choice at the ready. But when there wasn't anybody coming in, confusion spread throughout the shinobi. 'What was going on?' were the main thoughts going through everyone's head as they waited for the attack that wouldn't be coming.

All of a sudden though, a flash of yellow, reminding many of the Yondaime Hokage, came flashing through the entrance to the HQ, landing on the back of one unsuspecting Morino Ibiki. Blinking, Ibiki realized it was the blond brat from the first round of the Chuunin Exams. But why was he here…?

Ibiki's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as two more flashes came through the entrance-one pink and one black-, causing the rippling to halt. Looking over to where the other two flashes went, Ibiki snorted. The pinkette was secured on the back of one Shiranui Genma, who was blinking in surprise, his senbon hanging limply from his mouth. The pinkette had a satisfied look on her face. Ibiki realized that the pinkette, too, was part of the first round of the Chuunin exams as well.

Meanwhile, the brunette was on the ground, standing by Neji, with what looked like to be a combination of a scowl, glare and a pout. Ibiki noticed that Neji was trying to reign in his laughter, and almost failing. Apparently Neji knew what was going on, and Ibiki wanted answers.

"Neji-san," Ibiki stated, causing the laughing genin to look over at the scarred jounin, "can you please explain the reason for this" he pointed to the blond brat on his back, "that," he then pointed to the pinkette, who was still on Genma's back, "and that?" He pointed to Sasuke.

"You should know them, Ibiki-san," Neji stated, his laughter more under control now, "after all, they were in the first round."

Concentrating a little more, Ibiki realized that all of the brats here were from the Chuunin Exams.

"But why?" Ibiki asked, starting to get a bit irritated.

"Because," The blonde brat on his back said, gracefully back-flipping off of Ibiki's back to land in the middle of Sasuke-who had his arms crossed- and Sakura-who had her hands on her hips- to look at the crowd of shinobi with eyes they hadn't seen since the Yondaime's death.

"We are Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku."

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto listened to the whispers going through the crowd of shocked and surprised shinobi. He knew that Team Ayatsuru was well known in the past and future. The blonde could understand the confusion; after all, they were all supposed to be much taller, not some group of brats that had just come through the first two rounds of the Chuunin Exams.

Naruto glanced over at Neji, who, despite controlling his emotions well, had amusement showing clearly in his eyes. Catching his glance, Neji looked at him, and then Sasuke before snorting in laughter, which didn't go unnoticed. But that was a matter for another time; right now, Naruto and his team had to get through the interrogation he knew he they were going to get because he had created the rule that no one be allowed into the HQ building without being interrogated first himself.

Looking over to Ibiki, who was still suspicious, he began to list off his questions.

"Who are you three?" Ibiki asked.

It was a trick question, Naruto knew. The three of them had to answer by who they were referred to on the battlefield, rather than their real names.

"Saino no Aru Iyashi-Shu ," (3) Sakura started off.

"Saino Sento," (5) Sasuke continued.

"And the one behind the works of the team, Soju Suru Hito." (6) Naruto finished.

Nodding, Ibiki asked another question. "Who's the leader of the team?"

"Naruto." Sasuke answered without any hesitation.

"Where are the tattoos you have, and what do they represent?" Ibiki shot off.

"The first is the handles and strings to control the puppet," Sakura explained, "they mean to keep balance and control."

"The second part is the body, which contains the body of the puppet, as well as three faces: joyous, saddened, and angered." Sasuke began his explanation. "They symbolize the emotions each team member has."

"The third part of the tattoo is the whole tattoo." Naruto stated. "This part is to combine both the force of emotions and the balance and control that make the perfect ninja." Naruto finished.

Ibiki stared at the trio, mainly Naruto, who stared right back at him with unwavering eyes. Naruto wasn't about to give up so easily; the dominant persona he had created demanded that he be treated with the due respect a leader of his caliber deserved. Finally, though, Ibiki nodded, subtly letting Naruto know that he had won this battle.

Smiling, Naruto began walking towards the entrance to HQ, with Sakura and Sasuke behind him. Soon after, the remaining shinobi followed the trio into the HQ and to the meeting hall.

0o0-0o0-0o0

"I believe introductions are in order," Neji stated once everybody was seated. Agreeing, people began to state their names, what rank they were-in the village and the Hangyaku-, what they did in the group and how long they had been in it. When it came to Neji, the information stated was surprising to most.

"My name is Hyuuga Neji, I am a genin in Konoha and a A-Class Jounin for the rebellion. I'm the Head of Information and Interrogation for the Hangyaku. I've been with the Hangyaku since I was seventeen until I came here when I was twenty-four. I joined the Hangyaku again when I was eleven years old." Neji explained in the calm and collected temper he was known for throughout the rebellion.

Next was Ibiki. "My name is Morino Ibiki, I'm a Jounin for Konoha as well as the rebellion, an A-Class nin. I'm the Head of Torture Department for the rebellion. I've been with the Hangyaku since I was twenty-three. I am now thirty-two."

After Ibiki was Genma, who was taking everything. "The name's Shiranui Genma. I'm a jounin for both Konoha and the Hangyaku. I work under Neji in the Interrogation and Info Department. I've been here for eight years, and am twenty-eight."

Next was Sakura, who had a smile on her face. "My name is Haruno Sakura, genin for Konoha and a SS-Class nin for Hangyaku." At the hearing of he rank, many of the shinobi paled. "I'm a Healer for the rebellion, and part of the elite team Ayatsuru. I've been in the Hangyaku since I was sixteen until I left when I was twenty-five to come back here. I've been here for about one day."

"My name's Uchiha Sasuke, genin of Konoha and SS-Class nin for the Hangyaku. I train all new recruits in combat as the Head of Combat and Strategies, and am a part of the elite team Ayatsuru. Joined the Hangyaku at age fifteen until I was twenty-five. I, too, have recently arrived." Sasuke explained his in the normal Uchiha manner, though he was more amiable than most Uchihas. Naruto noticed that the shinobi that were present at this meeting were more comfortable with Sasuke now than they had before. Smiling slightly, Naruto introduced himself.

"Yo! I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, though most of you know me as the demon brat." Naruto stated with enthusiasm and a slight bit of smugness. He saw how they shifted uncomfortably, however subtle it was; picking up on the small things such as that could mean the turn of a battle, and that was why he was known as the Soju Suru Hito out on the battlefields.

"I'm a genin for Konoha, and a SSS-Class nin for the Hangyaku." Naruto kept his face blank as he saw how pale the shinobi in the room went. "Without Kyuubi's power, of course." That seemed to make matters worse, though no one besides the members of Team Ayatsuru and Akamaru knew that he no longer contained the Kyuubi no Yoko in him. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart, remembering his tenant, though the relationship between the two was not what you would think. After Naruto had returned to the village without Sasuke, the villagers had shunned and spewed hatred against his image even more. It was during that time that he and the Kyuubi started communicating with each other. Naruto had learned that the Kyuubi was an intellectual being with thousands of years of wisdom that he was willing to offer Naruto. And the Kyuubi had become like an older brother figure, maybe even a father figure, always reminding him to wash regularly, scolding him when he did something stupid, and praising him when he did something well.

Sighing lightly, Naruto returned back to the conversation, pushing the thoughts of his old tenant away fro the time being.

"For the Hangyaku, I am the leader of the elite team, Ayatsuru. I do many things for the rebellion, but mainly I am the resident Fuuinjutsu (6) Master, as well as the right-hand man of the Leader." This created whispers among the shinobi, though Naruto paid no heed. They had a meeting to get through, and a lot of information to go over. "I've been with the Hangyaku since I was sixteen up until I was twenty-five. I just recently came to this Hangyaku, like the rest of my team."

"Now that we are done with introductions," Naruto said, causing everyone to stop their chattering and pay attention to him, "we have many things to go over, and we must act quickly.

"While some of you may be aware, most others aren't, so I will state the reason why Team Ayatsuru has come back here." Silence met Naruto's finished sentence. Nodding slightly to himself, Naruto began filling in the rest of the team.

"We were sent back here in order to stop one nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen. It is to our advantage that we have already been through this timeline, and with the right timing and work, we can save the Hokage from using the Shiki Fuuin (7)." All shinobi present were attentive, taking the chance to be lead under one of the best ninjas in the Elemental Nations.

"In order to do that, we need to start spreading rumors of the Hangyaku, as well as taking up missions to let our rebellion be known to the shinobi nations. Starting today, we will start accepting missions with allies we have outside Konoha. Genma-san," Naruto turned to said man, "when is your next village, how long will it be and where will you be going?"

Responding accordingly, Genma told Naruto the basic info. "I've been assigned to head over to Wave in Nami no Kuni in order to assess the economic growth since the downfall of the tyrant Gatou. I will be leaving at 15:00 today, and should return in two weeks' time."

Nodding, Naruto plotted the course for the revealing of the Hangyaku.

"Good," he commented. "On your way there, you're bound to run into bandits as the downfall of Gatou was only a few months ago-Team Seven under Hatake Kakashi was there to protect the bridge builder, Tazuna- and the economy still isn't at its peak. Assuming you do run into the bandits, which most likely will be assaulting a defenseless family, you will defeat them, and say it was in the name of the Hangyaku."

"What will I use to hide my features? After all, there will be people who recognize me as the diplomat from Konoha." Genma asked. "The Shinkiro no Jutsu?"(8)

Naruto nodded his affirmation. "Yes, the Shinkiro no Jutsu will work for this. And when you leave the bandits by the city prison, label them all with our sign." the sign was like a logo, in a way; it represented who they were through simple means. The insignia for the Hangyaku was a phoenix with the kanji for the five elements.

Standing up from his seat, Genma made his way towards the door. "Roger that, taichou(9)," Genma stated, turning the knob of the meeting room door. "I'll see you in two weeks' time." And with that, Genma left, his mind preoccupied with both his missions.

Popping his back, Naruto turned his attention from the door to the rest of the shinobi.

"Alright, we've made some serious progress here already, people. Now, catch us up to date. How are our allies in Kiri…"

0o0-0o0-0o0

And that's a wrap! How'd ya'll like it? 'M sorry that this took so long, but I managed to get it done. As I said earlier, the contest is stated below, please read it…

Glossary

(1)- Good morning.

(2)-Through the valley and upon the wings of the winds, we shall repent man-kind's sin.

(3)- Gifted Healer

(4)- Genius Fighter

(5)- Manipulator

(6)- A sealing Master, like Jiraiya or Namikaze Minato.

(7)- The seal that was created by the Yondaime Hokage and placed on Naruto's stomach to contain the Kyuubi.

(8)- The Mirage Jutsu. Allows you to alter your appearance slightly so people won't recognize you.

(9)- Captain.

Alright, he's the challenge for anyone who's (hopefully) interested…

I decided that I'd like to try and put up a challenge. So here it is!

Basic summary of what story should revolve around:

After Naruto brings Sasuke back from the Valley of the End, he is abused even worse than he already is, and ignored by most of his friends, save for a few. After a gruesome beating, Naruto comes into contact with the Kyuubi no Yoko once again, who is disgusted with the way the villagers and shinobi have treated Naruto. Not wanting his host to live in such a vulgar village any longer, Kyuubi tells Naruto of a village where the demons live, where they will treat him better. Knowing that he had no future in Konoha, Naruto leaves in search of this village and becomes one of the most powerful shinobi to brace the world.

You don't have to use the summary above, but the outline of the story has to be along those lines.

Things to know

*The Kyuubi is to be male, simply because I've read too many femkyuubi stories, and it'd be nice if the Kyuubi were male for once (though I have nothing against femkyuubi). There doesn't have to be a pairing; if you want one, the relationship has to build up over the chapters, meaning it can't be an instant love. (they don't have to hate each other from the start though). It can be boyxgirl or boyxboy, just put a notice on the summary if it is yaoi, so no one flames you.

*Shikamaru is to be one of the few remaining friends Naruto has because Shika is awesome. Also, the number of friends he has left can't be more than four. (4) If you use the Ichirakus, I will consider it one (if you want; it doesn't have to be).

*Good grammar! It doesn't matter if you have a beta for this; better to you, I say! I'll be reading all the stories that are posted for this challenge (if anyone actually does it), and I know that everyone appreciates a story with good grammar.

This competition will start on May 14th, 2011. You are allowed to start this as soon as you read it if you so choose. The date it ends is June 28th, 2011, a Tuesday.

Now for the fun part: Prize!

If you win this challenge, you will be able to choose the next two topics for my story, Going Back: One-shot Style. I know a lot of my readers have been wanting to know what's happened to Itachi and all that fun stuff, so if you win, you could ask for it to be the next one-shot. Or, if you haven't read Going Back or Going Back: One-Shot Style, you can request me to write something (as long as it's in my abilities). That's okay too.

To win this challenge, its fairly simple: you need to have the most reviews by the end of the challenge. Simple right? It should be. All you'll need to do is send me a message or review (message preferred) when your story is up and running, with the title and what not.

Don't forget to have fun! (= Gah, I sound like my band teacher! o.O)

Ja, blucross


	5. Chapter 5

_**Please read Author's note at bottom!**_ Anyways, you all must hate me by now. I don't blame you. I haven't updated this story in months, which is really bad. So I apologize, my dear readers, and hope that you show mercy upon this poor soul.

Unfortunately, this will be a semi-filler chapter. I liked writing it, simply because of what's happening in the chapter. Just read to the end, and something good will happen.

Anyway! Onward with this lovely story! Enjoy!

Legend

"Talking/Jutsus"

'_thinking/signing'_

"**Bijuu talking/special effect noises"**

'_**Bijuu thinking'**_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto sat contentedly at Ichiraku Ramen Bar, along with the rest of his team. Over the past two months, the three of them, along with other members of Hangyaku, had been going around the Elemental Nations, completing missions and making a name for themselves. Personally, Naruto was pleased with how everything was going; he was raising the skill levels of the Hangyaku branch in Konoha, and almost everyone was A-rank or higher, thanks to the training regime he had created, along with Sakura's diet plan. What was even better was that, even though the rising of skill level was noticeable to members of the Hangyaku, it wasn't noticeable to anyone outside the organization. So, when Orochimaru launched the attack in the middle of the final rounds, the rebellion would be prepared.

Also, in-village shinobi career was going pretty good as well. More of the Konoha-nin were treating him with respect, as a large number if them were in the Hangyaku. Even then, those who weren't in the rebellion were treating him better. Also, after some convincing from his Academy Sensei, Naruto was now living with Iruka, officially adopted as his son. With, of course, the blessings from Sakura and approval from Sasuke.

At the moment, the three members of Team Ayatsuru were relaxing, for tomorrow would be the finals. Needless to say, they were all anxious as well as excited, leading to a whirlwind of emotions.

"Ne, Naruto," Sakura called from his right. Blinking, Naruto looked up to the pinkette, who continued talking after gaining the attention of her blonde squad leader. "Where do you think Sensei is?"

Truth be told, Naruto _had_ wandered where their Genin squad leader had gone off to. The three of them had managed to give him the slip for most of the two month training period, but now that it was ending, he had become hyper-sensitive of everything and everyone around him, knowing that there were enemy nin among them.

Naruto tensed though as he felt the chakra from their Scarecrow-sensei. He didn't think now would be a good time to tell their Sensei what was going on, if ever. And right now was definitely not it.

"Scarecrow two blocks down at nine o'clock," Naruto responded to his female teammate, who paled slightly.

"I suggest we get out of here, then," Sasuke, who hadn't said much during their meal, suggested, getting two nods from his tow teammates.

Leaving the money on the table, Naruto called out a "Later, Oji-san!" before the members of Team Seven left the Ramen Bar.

The three friends shunshined out of the area just as they saw their Sensei look up to see them leave. Unfortunately for the three Hangyaku members, their perverted Sensei had had enough of being evade by his whole team for over two months, and thus took the initiative to start following them. He wasn't an Ex-ANBU Captain for nothing.

This led to a chase that Naruto hadn't had since he was an Academy student, pulling a prank. The first place they went was the Subakus' hotel room, where Kankuro, Temari and Gaara were currently relaxing in. As they entered the room, the three members of team Seven closed the windows and blinds all around the room and locked the door so no one else could get in. When they were sure that everything was secure, the three let tier guard down a little.

"Is there a reason for you three to be barging into our hotel room like this?" Team Ayatsuru turned to see Temari with her brothers on either side of her.

"Yes, there is." Naruto replied.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Aren't you going to tell us?"

"I suppose." Seeing as Temari looked ready to smash his head inwardly, he held his hands up placating manner "Alright, alright. We're hiding from our Sensei."

"Why would you be doing that?" Kankuro asked, sitting on his bed with a magazine in hand.

"Well, we might've avoided him for two months…" A somewhat sheepish grin appeared on Naruto's face.

Temari raised an eyebrow. "And what does it have to do with you hiding here?"

"Because he's chasing us." Naruto replied, while Sakura checked through the blinds to see if Kakashi was anywhere near. Looking downwards, she saw that Kakashi was walking into the hotel where the Subakus were staying.

"Um, Naruto?" Sakura asked nervously, paling slightly.

"What is it Sakura?" Naruto asked, watching as Gaara made his sand float in intricate designs in what might have been an attempt to impress his first friend.

"Would it be bad if Kakashi was to walk into this hotel?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke's heads snapped towards her so fast that she was surprised they didn't get whiplash.

"Yes, that would be very bad, Sakura."

"In that case, I think we should leave. I can feel his chakra rising through the elevators." Sakura replied, looking to the locked door of the hotel room they were in.

"Well then, I guess we should." Naruto replied simply, getting up after Gaara's sand went back into its cork. "I'll see you tomorrow, ne?" Naruto asked Gaara, who nodded with a small smile.

Smiling back, Naruto made his way over to the middle of the room where Sasuke and Sakura were waiting for him.

"Well then, I guess we're off then," Naruto replied cheerfully. "If you'll keep this visit a little secret…" With a wink, Naruto grabbed hold of his other two teammates and shunshined to another are without a trace to be left. Not a second later, there was a knock at the door. With an amused look towards his two elder siblings, Gaara wiped any emotion off his face and answered the door. Right there was none other than Hatake Kakashi.

"Konnichiwa!"* Kakashi greeted.

"Do you need something, Hatake-san?" Gaara asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He figured that if this man was chasing his best friend and causing trouble, he'd do whatever he could to make sure they wouldn't be found by anything he said.

"Yes, it just so happens that I'm looking for my cute little students. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?" Kakashi asked with an eye-smile.

"I haven't seen Naruto since yesterday. Now if you'll excuse me; I have better things to do." Gaara finished, closing the door behind him with a sharp click, leaving Kakashi in the hallway.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Landing in the designated place, Sasuke and Sakura looked around to see what appeared to be a clans-ground.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked, looking around.

"This," Naruto said with a flourish of his hand, "is the Namikaze clans-grounds."

Sasuke looked up at the revelation of where they were. "This is the Yondaime's house?"

"Yep!" Naruto replied cheerfully. "And soon to be mine once I can convince Sandaime-Jiji** to let me stay here with Iruka."

"Wow," Sakura said, not hiding the impressed look on her face. "Its really beautiful here."

"Otou-san*, being a master of Fuuinjutsu, made a seal that would keep everything from rotting and withering away. The only way you can get in is if you've been invited here by a blood member, if you marry in and are keyed into the seals- good thing okaa-san's family is well-known for creating epic seals- or if you're invited." Naruto explained, and then paused, thinking about what he had just said.

"Crap," He muttered.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"If you're not of Namikaze blood, the only way you can get in here is if you've been invited, or you're keyed into the wards. Kakashi-sensei's keyed into the wards, since he was one on Otou-san's students. He, knowing that something's different with us, might assume we've somehow managed to find out about my heritage and are currently using its knowledge, and thus, are here."

"So, basically, he can find us?" Sakura asked.

"Not quite," came a voice from the far side of the house. "I've already found you." Out came Kakashi, eye-smiling.

Naruto did the only thing he knew to do in this situation. "Eep!" And then grabbed hold of his two unsuspecting teammates and shunshined away.

Kakashi's eye-smile started twitching. 'As soon as I get my hands on those three, they will know the meaning of pain.' And with that, Kakashi shunshined away, thinking of different ways to torture those three little hellions.

0o0-0o0-0o0

The three teenage members of Team Ayatsuru landed silently in the back of Iruka's classroom. They knew he wouldn't mind, as they had popped in on and off for the past two months. Whether they wanted some peace, or were actually willing to help out with his class, they were welcome in his class. It didn't hurt that Iruka was Naruto's adopted father.

In the back of the room, Naruto put a finger to his lips in the universal sigh of 'Shh' when Iruka looked back to him in questioning. Nodding slightly in understanding, Iruka went right back to teaching as if nothing had happened, and his students were none the wiser.

The three members watched as Iruka taught, completely in his zone. Naruto knew that if Iruka wanted to, he could be a Jounin or higher. But, he loved teaching at the Academy, and Naruto wouldn't even think about taking away the happiness of his adopted father.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Iruka gave Naruto a knowing look, which informed him that, most likely, their Sensei was outside of the door to this room. Paling, he nudged Sasuke and Sakura, and nodded towards the door. Understanding his message, the two rose quietly and made their way to the window, walking along the back wall of the classroom so that they wouldn't be seen by their Sensei.

But alas, it was all for naught, for as they reached the window, a head with anti-gravity silver hair appeared. The now glaring Kakashi opened the window and grabbed Naruto by his forearm with a tight, as he was the nearest of his team to Kakashi. Unfortunately for Naruto, he was caught. Even though he was much stronger than before, his stature was still smaller than his Sensei's and it would prove harder for him to escape. Trying to escape his Sensei's grip, said man gripped him even harder, garnering an unwanted whimper to escape Naruto's mouth. Now, Naruto was pretty tough, but the pain coming from his Sensei's grip was enough to warrant one.

Iruka, who was in the middle of teaching his class, heard the whimper from the voice he'd know anywhere. Snapping his head towards the back of the classroom, Iruka saw what was happening to his son. Needless to say, Iruka was, at the very least, displeased at the way Kakashi was acting towards his Genin team, especially his beloved son.

"Hatake-san," Iruka said in voice that sent shivers down even Kakashi's spine, "I suggest you take your hands off my son before I make you."

This had cowed Iruka's class of students, never having seen him acting this aggressive before.

"Maa, maa, Umino-san," Kakashi started, trying to appease the pissed off teacher. In fact, he only tightened the grip on his youngest student. "This can all be-"

"I said," Iruka growled, glaring daggers at the Copy-cat nin, "_let go of my son!"_ And with a flash of speed most didn't know Iruka had, he vanished and appeared in Kakashi's face, tearing the Jounin's arm off of Naruto and punching him right in the nose, getting a sickening crunch. Flipping the Jounin over onto his stomach, he began tying the Jounin up with chakra enforced ninja wire, making sure the ropes were taut and secure.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Iruka asked his adopted son, gently lifting the hurt arm to get a better look at it. It was deeply bruised, which made Iruka frown in concern.

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei," Sakura reassured her old Academy teacher, "we'll make sure that Naruto is healed all the way." Sasuke gave a terse nod, glaring severely at the Jounin tied up on the floor. Iruka nodded, knowing his son would be in good hands.

"Now class," Iruka started, his voice returning to normal as he hefted the broken-nosed Jounin over his shoulder, "this is why you _never_ underestimate an opponent."

"Hai!" The class of students chorused, staring at their teacher in a new light.

Walking towards the door, Iruka turned back towards Naruto and gave him a warm smile. "Make sure you're back by dinner. Sasuke, Sakura, you're welcome to come as well." Turning towards his students, Iruka announced, "Class is dismissed for today."

As the group of chattering students left for the day, Sakura gently took Naruto's arm and began healing it. As the gentle green light surrounded it, Naruto sighed in relief.

"Well, at least you'll never have to worry about the villagers again," Sasuke commented. "Iruka'll beat them up if they ever touch you."

Sasuke's comment got the desired effect as Naruto snorted in laughter along with Sakura.

Sasuke smiled; tomorrow would go just fine.

0o0-0o0-0o0

And there ya have it! And before you go all out on me, _**Kakashi is NOT AN ANTAGONIST.**_Just had to get that out of the way, hope you see this. What Kakashi did will help this baby move along in the future.

* Konnichiwa is English for hello.

** Sandaime-Jiji is the semi-formal way for Naruto to call the Sandaime an old man, but still having respect.

* Otou-san is English for dad. Okaa-san is English for mom, but I didn't put a star by that.

And if anyone didn't know, Scarecrow is the exact English translation for Kakashi.

Ja!


	6. Chapter 6

Hunya…(new word I use) I haven't been able to update in ages. School (I ain't saying which peoples) is tough; make sure you study and do your homework (nods wisely). Lest you want to get murdered by good-grade-obsesses parents. That wouldn't be fun, now would it? XD

Moving along… here's a random fact for you all: one acre of the trees people use for Christmas supply the daily oxygen needed for 18 people.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Legend

"Talking/Jutsus"

'_thinking/signing'_

"**Bijuu talking/special effect noises"**

'_**Bijuu thinking'**_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto was awakened by Iruka's yelling for him to wake up. Grumbling abut big vocal cords, Naruto dragged himself out of his comfortable bed (Iruka threw a fit when Naruto said he wanted to use the one from his apartment, saying how old it was. He didn't know that Naruto had recently changed it to a better quality, but Naruto certainly wasn't going to tell his Academy instructor that) and went to his closet to change his clothes. Over the past two months, Naruto had changed his outfit to accommodate his lack of physical strength (though it had gone up considerably since the end of the preliminary round) and this would be the first time he'd wear it in the village, for he mainly wore this while he was doing missions for the Hangyaku.

Humming a random tune as he collected his clothes from the closet, Naruto went over his choice of style. Naruto wore a black vest that had as many pockets as a Jounin vest would with a zipper should he want to close it. The vest itself was made out of cloth, which was a combination of silk and wool, creating a cloth that was easy to move in yet very hard to tear. While no longer wearing a shirt- a trait he had picked up from his time in the future Hangyaku- his arms were covered in long, intricate designs that most mistook for tattoos but in reality were actually seals. There were a variety of seals, and each of them had different uses. One of them was used as gravity seals, for endurance training; on his left arm was most of the seals he kept his puppeteer-ing equipment; while he had scrolls for his equipment in his kunai pouch, he preferred to keep his puppets in his arm, as it gave him easy access to them; another was used to store weapons, such as kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, as well as the sword he had acquired a little after he had met the Hangyaku of Konoha, and he was now using the sword style that Zabuza had used (he had learned this whilst in Mizu talking to the Godaime, Terumi Mei, who had allowed him to use the technique, as he had seriously grown to respect the man after he had left Konoha). Though he was a little rusty, he was able to pick up the sword style easily after some training. Placed on his wrists were normal weights, at which weights he kept secret, not even telling his two teammates; if he had told them, he may not get them back. Moving to grab his pants, Naruto smirked as he remembered the first time he had worn the pair of pants on a mission for the Hangyaku; needless to say, he turned heads. The pair of pants looked to be like any other pair of standard Jounin pants, but they were far from it; Naruto's pants were made of the same cloth his vest was made out of, and had a bluish-white stripe (in honor of Haku) going down the sides of the legs. Embedded with seals that cleaned the pants after he wore them, Naruto knew these were his favorite pair. Slipping them on with ease, Naruto reached for his ankle weights, and slipped them onto his ankles, securing their place with a chakra latch he had created designed for the amount of weight he had placed onto them. Upon his feet were ordinary black shinobi sandals, though there were minute holes within the soles that allowed him to channel chakra to his feet and create invisible but deadly spikes at any time he chose. Tying his hitai-ate on his head with the forehead protector to the right (as Zabuza had) Naruto had made his way down to the kitchen where Iruka was making breakfast. Normally, Naruto would make his own breakfast in the mornings, as Iruka had to go to the Academy earlier in the morning than he would wake up but, as it was the day of the finals, Iruka said he wanted to make Naruto breakfast so he could do his best.

Entering the kitchens, Naruto took a whiff as he placed his sandals by the door-Iruka didn't allow shoes on in the kitchen- and slightly drooled at the smell of his adoptive father's cooking. A grin on his face, Naruto sat down at his place at the table, just as Iruka had placed Naruto's breakfast.

"Ohayou, tou-san," Naruto greeted, having gotten himself into the habit of referring to his Academy Instructor as such.

"Ohayou, Naruto. Did you sleep well?" Iruka greeted his son back, talking as he grabbed his own plate and sat at the table.

"Yep, I sure did! That bed is really comfy." Naruto replied, speaking the truth. While the bed back at his apartment was quite comfortable, there was something about the bed Iruka had gotten for him that just made him sleep like the dead, and as far as Naruto knew, the only way he could sleep like the dead was if he was dead exhausted, which really didn't happen.

"That's good. Are you ready for the finals?" Iruka asked him, taking a bite out of his rice with his chopsticks.

"Of course!" Naruto replied, though it wasn't with the type of voice Naruto would have said when he was actually this age years ago. "I'm going to kick his ass out to next year!" Inwardly, he was thinking about the irony of facing Neji; both of them were on superior levels to what they should be, as both of them were from the future, being some of the Hangyaku's finest shinobi. It would certainly be an interesting match.

"Naruto!" Iruka scolded, though amusement and mirth were clear in his eyes. "You shouldn't speak so rudely."

"While that may be true," Naruto began, a fox-like smile appearing on hiss face, "that doesn't mean I won't!"

Iruka only sighed at Naruto's antics, and for that, Naruto smiled. This was the type of life he wished he could have lived way back then, when he was a true citizen of Konoha.

The rest of the meal went about the two laughing and smiling about random topics and such, until Naruto looked at the clock and sighed.

"I guess I have to get the rest of my things together before I leave," Naruto explained to Iruka, who had looked curiously at him; after all, the finals didn't start for another hour, and he still had another twenty minutes or so before he actually had to leave.

"So you have more things to put on? By the looks of it, you have plenty." Iruka asked with a small smirk on his face, which Naruto just rolled his eyes at. The first time Naruto had worn his new clothing, Iruka had complained about how little he was wearing. This clearly was a jab at him for that.

"Bah! I just need to put on my forearm protectors, put on my gloves, tie my kunai pouch on and seal a pillow into my seals so I have something for my nap!" A mischievous smile appeared on Naruto's face as he thought about how Nara-like he was in that respect. He had to hand it to Shikamaru, though, if it wasn't for him, he probably wouldn't have known about the wonders of naps under a slightly cloudy sky.

Watching his adoptive father roll his eyes, Naruto's smile merely grew. Leaving the kitchen, Naruto could hear Iruka muttering about 'naps' and 'bloody Nara's being too damn influential' and laughed out loud, causing Iruka to mutter even more.

Entering back into his room, Naruto walked to his nightstand and strapped on his forearm protectors. While it didn't seem more than forearm warmers, the forearm protectors had been crafted of the same material as his pants and vest were, but were the same bluish-white color the stripes on his pants. Even more, they had miniscule seals hand-sewn into them, allowing them to withstand the damaging and forcefulness of his wind chakra, and on other occasions, Kyuubi's chakra. Thinking about the Kyuubi made him stop for a moment in sadness, but he continued on, knowing that the Kyuubi would give him an earful for being so sappy. Smirking slightly, Naruto pulled his fingerless gloves on, also being made of the same material as his forearm protectors securing them with the same chakra clasps he had on his ankle weights; he didn't want to risk destroying his hands, for what good would a puppeteer be if they couldn't use their hands?

Strapping on his black kunai pouch, he made his way back to the entrance of the kitchen, slipping into his sandals just as Iruka finished the last of the dishes. Looking up from the sink, Iruka smiled at Naruto.

"You ready to go, Naruto?" Iruka queried lightly, a knowing smile on his face.

"You bet I am!" Naruto exclaimed, truly getting excited for the finals. He really was looking forward to battling against Neji and seeing how far he had come since Neji had gone back to the past.

Walking to the front door of the house, Naruto waited for Iruka, who came down the hallway soon after Naruto. Nodding to his adoptive father, Naruto opened the front door and stepped out of the house; the sky was blue, and there were fluffy clouds just waiting for Naruto to gaze at once he was finished with his match. A serene smile came onto his face: he was going to have a very nice nap today. Behind him, Naruto could hear Iruka chuckling as he locked up the house, but that didn't bother him.

"Let's go, Naruto. I'll walk with you part of the way." Iruka said, and Naruto nodded, walking alongside Iruka as they made their way through on the main road of the village.

As the two of them strolled, Naruto knew the villagers were staring at him, and not just because of hate; he knew their first reaction was to glare at him venomously because he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, but blinked as they saw what most likely was the reincarnation of the Yondaime Hokage with only a few differences, such as his eyes being slightly larger than his father's almond shaped ones. Other than that, though, there weren't really that many differences between himself and his father.

Glancing around, he looked ahead and saw Sakura and Sasuke a little ways ahead of them. As if they noticed someone staring at them, they both looked back at him at the same time. Now, while that would normally freak out most people (such as Iruka who was standing right beside him) he wasn't affected by it at all; he was the one that had taught them how to do that in the first place.

A smile lit Sakura's face as Naruto walked up to her, and Naruto noticed that Sakura and Sasuke were wearing their new clothes as well. Sasuke's was somewhat similar to his own, differences being that he just wore a tank-top, there weren't any other colors on his clothes besides black, and his hitai-ate was placed on his forehead with the protector facing straight out. Sakura, on the other hand, probably had the more diverse outfit; she wore a sleeveless top that had fishnet stripes on the side, and was an emerald green in color, bringing out her own eyes (the shirt was obviously made out of the sane silk-wool combination). She was wearing a pair of shorts (also made of the silk-wood combination) that hugged her legs nicely, yet were loose, giving a full range of movement. And while Naruto and Sasuke were wearing black shinobi sandals, Sakura was wearing heels similar to what Tsunade wore and her hitai-ate* was tied around her neck.

"Looking good," Sakura greeted, saying hello to her Academy Instructor when she saw him. Naruto chuckled slightly at that.

"You're not looking too bad there either, Sakura." Naruto complimented before nodding at Sasuke, who gave a nod of his own in reply.

"Well, it looks like I better get going then," Iruka said, smiling at Naruto, who gave a large grin in return.

"I'll tell ya all about it when I get back tonight, 'ttebane!" Naruto replied, slipping into his mother's way of speaking unconsciously. Whispers started spreading among the villagers as Iruka blinked, looking shocked.

"What's the matter, tou-san?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to one side. Out of the corner of his eyes, he knew Sakura and Sasuke were curious, though they weren't obvious about it.

"Oh, sorry Naruto," Iruka replied, blinking again, "it's just that you sounded a lot like Kushina-sama for a moment." Naruto blinked at this himself.

"Like kaa-san?" Naruto asked, his head tilting to the side again. He heard the whispers spread, even faster this time, and inwardly smirked; today was just getting better and better.

"K-kaa-san?" Iruka asked with a stutter. "S-she's your mother? But- but if she's your mother, then that means your father is…" Naruto watched as Iruka looked at him with wide eyes. Naruto winked, which left Iruka, and most of the now gathered crowd, gaping.

"I'll see you later, tou-san," Naruto told Iruka as if he just hadn't revealed an enormous S-Class secret. It was always so much fun to cause mayhem. Looking to his teammates, he nodded to them. "Let's get moving; we don't want to be late, after all." Naruto smiled at his two teammates before continuing on to the arena, thinking of what today would bring. A slow smirk appeared upon his face, making those who look at him make a double-take as they thought they saw the ghost of the Yondaime. Today would be fun indeed.

And with that thought in mind, Naruto led his two teammates into the arena.

0o0-0o0-0o0

I know this looks like a filler, but I felt that it would be better if I left it off here rather than continuing on with the next part. One thing's for sure is that, as I was describing Naruto's outfit, I brought out word count and saw it was already at 999 words, and I was like, "Gawd, this is going to be a long chappie." And it kinda is. I was tempted to make this longer, but as it is currently about twenty to two in the morning from where I am at, I need to depart and go to sleep, like all good boys and girls do around Chrishanukamah. xD Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chappie, and know that, even though I'm still busy seven ways from Sunday, I'll try updating more often. Look forward to my next update, Looking Back.

Please send reviews to this lonesome author; they're like cookies, and I really like your opinions and output on things; the things you do can influence what is written if enough of you want it. I'm open to ideas.


	7. Chuunin Exam Finals: Part 1

Legend

"Talking/Jutsus"

'_thinking/signing'_

"**Bijuu talking/special effect noises"**

'_**Bijuu thinking'**_

Summary:

Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned an important mission to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura calmly walked into the arena, their eyes darting around as they saw the little seals that had been set up by one of Naruto's clones for when Orochimaru attacked.

When the three had reached the middle of the arena, Naruto saw Temari standing besides Shikamaru and walked over to the Wind Mistress and began a conversation about the pros and cons of using Wind Chakra in a battle. Shikamaru listened in as the two went on and on, intrigued by how much could be said about a topic such as Wind Chakra. Meanwhile, Sakura was talking with Shino about the plants and herbs used in making medicines; Sakura sounded enthusiastic as she began spouting off information about the plants and which insects harmed them and which insects helped them bloom faster. On the other hand, Sasuke, Gaara and Neji had congregated together, being as shut off from their emotions as they were. The three stood in a mutual silence, agreeing that saying anything would be unnecessary.

As Kankuro had made his way into the conversation with Sakura and Shino (he did make poisons, after all) Shiranui Genma stepped into the arena and shot off a firecracker, causing the stadium to quiet down as the proctor for the third round entered.

"Welcome," Genma announced, his senbon needle hanging in his mouth, "to the third part of the Chuunin Exams!" The crowd cheered, excited to see how talented the finalists were. "The matches will be in the following order: 1. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji; 2. Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino; 3. Sabaku no Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke; 4. Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari. The winner of the Nara/Sabaku match will fight Sabaku no Kankuro. Will everyone except those fighting in match one please step off the field?" The question, though sounding more like a statement, was answered by the contestants moving off the field. Sasuke and Sakura walked over to Naruto before they left.

"Kick his ass, Naru," Sakura cheered, patting his shoulder before walking off the field, most likely to fins Shino to continue their conversation from earlier. This left Sasuke and Naruto on the field, besides Neji who was a few feet away, giving them some privacy. The two stared at each other, as if they were communicating to each other in a way that only they understood. After what seemed a long time, Sasuke smirked, causing Naruto to smirk his own foxy grin in return.

"Don't lose, Naruto," Sasuke told his best friend, sounding like he did all those years ago when they had taken the Exams for the first time.

"As if I'd ever lose," Naruto retorted, though he didn't sound arrogant. "I'll see ya in the final round, yeah?" Naruto queried, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," Sasuke replied, and the two bumped knuckles before Sasuke shunshined to the balcony for the finalists. Turning back to face Neji, Naruto smiled slightly, knowing the excitement he was feeling was also being reciprocated by his opponent.

"As in the Preliminary Round, everything is legal except killing. Are the two contestants ready to begin?" Genma asked, receiving a nod from each of the Genin. "Very well; hajime!(1)"

Genma disappeared to another balcony so that he wasn't in the way of the battle between the two Hangyaku members; it was going to be a match worth watching.

Naruto and Neji slowly circled each other as they contemplated their moves; Neji would have to use all his experience as a member of the rebellion, for his opponent was one of the most dangerous shinobi in the Elemental Nations, up to par with Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Itachi, to say the least.

"You ready for this, Neji?" Naruto asked, bringing Neji back to his opponent. Though Naruto wouldn't be using his full strength, he would still be a challenge to beat.

"Of course, I do have a reputation to uphold, after all," Neji replied, smirking as he repeated the words he had stated many years ago. "It is in accordance to fate that I will win."

Naruto snorted, remembering their match; it was a total blast from the past. "Very well," Naruto replied, moving into his Taijutsu stance, "let's tango."

As if a hidden bell had been rung, the two contestants began their deadly dance, enticing the crowd as their movements flowed like water; Neji with his firm stance the Jyuken(2), and Naruto with the recognizable, if not often seen, taijutsu of the Toads, though it appeared to have a little twist of its own.

Naruto was enjoying himself; he often hadn't had the chance to spar with an opponent of Neji's caliber, save for when he was sparring with Sakura and Sasuke. It was refreshing, to put it in milder terms. As the fight wore on, Naruto began analyzing Neji's moves. Punch. Dodge. High Kick. Dodge. Low-Sweeping Kick. Right turn. Back Flip. Charge. Feint. Right Hook. Dodge.

Analyzing Neji's movements, Naruto believed that Neji used a pattern that, while not seen by most, was recognized soon enough. First it was a punch, followed by a kick to above the stomach and then below the waist, dodging the retaliating taijutsu of Naruto. He would then retreat before charging in again to repeat the same pattern, though the order of the kicks was reversed every other time. Calculating the distance to the walls around Neji and himself, Naruto began sending out unseen chakra strings that, even with the Byakugan(3) activated, could not be seen, for Naruto's Wind Chakra surrounded it, causing it to be imperceptible. With every punch and kick Naruto sent out, he let one of his strings fly in the intricate web he was creating. It took another five minutes of sparring for Naruto to set up his web, and the crowd didn't seem to mind that they were only sparring; in fact, it appeared that they were enraptured with their deadly tango.

Deciding to activate his lovely web of chakra strings, Naruto broke Neji's pattern by initiating one of his favorite katas: Naruto stepped forward with his left foot and rose to his toe and spun himself, using his Wind Chakra to help him spin. Gaining speed, Naruto lifted his right leg and began kicking out-ward, much like a toad would when leaping from one spot to another. Naruto's speed increased and his right leg began moving faster, each full spin bringing another kick.

Surprised, Neji had only one option to stop his blond captain: placing his left arm straight behind him and his right straight in front of him, Neji poured chakra into his hands and began spinning, forming the Hakke Shou Kaiten(4). This effectively stopped Naruto from attacking him with his killer frog kick, or so Neji thought.

Smirking slightly at Neji's use of the Hakke Shou Kaiten, Naruto released the Wind Chakra and poured chakra into his web of chakra strings. The strings pulsed with the wave of chakra, and activated, thoroughly catching the Hyuuga unaware. What happened next caused the audience to gasp.

With the strings active, the web of strings became active, pulsing at random times as if it was interacting with other parts of the web. Neji, who was caught in the center of it, was moved around according to the whims of the strings. It was a violent ride; Neji was tossed back and forth between the strings, creating cuts and abrasions as the Wind Chakra cut into Neji's paling skin. Bruises were formed when the strings would ram Neji into the wall by his ankle, and the Hyuuga could do nothing to stop the strings, though he certainly tried to, using chakra-infused kunai to try and cut the string. Unfortunately for him, the string could not be cut, for the chakra infused with the string made the strings as tough as steel.

When the strings started pulsing at a rapid pace, which to the slightly horrified audience looked like excited chattering, Naruto had them lift Neji up y his waist, having him hang midair while facing Naruto.

Catching his breath as the strings had stopped tossing him around, Neji asked breathlessly, "…What was that?"

Smiling, Naruto revealed one of many jutsus he had created.

"Tsukai āto: Tsukai no asobiba(5)," Naruto replied, and Neji blanched even further, which was a feat in itself as he already had pale skin.

"Have you no mercy?" Neji asked in a slightly bitter tone, though to the Hyuuga's currently watching the match it sounded like a pout.

"Where would the fun in that be?" Naruto said cheerfully. "Besides, you've probably had worse than this. It's one of the milder ones, if that makes you feel any better."

Genma, from his balcony, snorted at the comment. He was pretty sure that the comment wouldn't make the incapacitated Hyuuga feel better. He was right.

Neji glared at the blond puppet master, clearly disgruntled. "How would you feel if you were in this situation?"

The blond seemed to ponder the question before replying rather cheekily, "I wouldn't know; I'd never get myself into this situation."

Neji's glare became icier as his pupil-less eyes bored into the blond. Naruto just snickered at Neji, knowing that the match was over. Neji's glare became colder as he realized this as well. _'If looks could kill,'_ Naruto thought to himself as he felt Genma's chakra signature appear. Moving his gaze to the wall, Naruto listened to what Genma was saying.

"As Hyuuga Neji is unable to battle, the winner of the match is Uzumaki Naruto." Silence overtook the crowd before the Sandaime, who had been seated within the Hokage's Box since the beginning of the match with the other Hokages, began clapping. This seemed to break the stupor that had befallen the crowd as they too began to cheer. Naruto smiled and took a bow before he sent a pulse through the chakra strings, deactivating them and allowing Neji, who hadn't been on the solid ground in over ten minutes, to regain his balance. Unfortunately, Neji's sense of balance was somewhat skewered at the moment, for when his feet hit the ground, he swayed before falling unceremoniously onto his butt. Snorting, Naruto walked over and offered Neji a hand up; Neji took it gratefully.

Turning to the Proctor, Naruto lifted a slender eyebrow.

"There was no way you were going to catch me in there," Genma replied to Naruto's eyebrow. "I sure as hell didn't want to be thrown around like a bouncy ball, thank you very much."

Naruto just shook his head before he handed Neji over to the Med-nins, who took him away to the hospital area to heal any acquired wounds. Watching them take the Hyuuga, Naruto then shunshined up to the balcony where he was met with varying responses to his performance.

"You really wanted to do that, didn't you?" Sakura asked with an exasperated voice. Naruto just gave his foxy grin.

"That was an interesting battle technique, Naruto-san," Shino commented, acknowledging Naruto's changes in a subtle way.

"Why thank you," Naruto replied, garnering a snort from Sasuke, who was leaning on the wall, his back facing the rest of the arena. The amusement on his face, though faint, was clear for the blond to see.

"This'll be troublesome," Shikamaru commented, standing up from the chair he was sitting in to make his way towards Naruto, "but what exactly was that jutsu you just did?" Shikamaru stared at Naruto in the eyes, as if Naruto's eyes would give away the answer.

Smiling in a way that was eerily similar to a certain Cyclops shinobi, Naruto replied in a happy voice, "On the road of life, of course."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, slightly confused as to what the blond meant by his words. Judging on Sasuke's snort and Sakura's eye roll, it was apparent that what Naruto just said was a bunch of BS, and it was a line often used on them by someone else. Before he could call the blond on his answer, Genma announced the second match contestants.

"Would Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino please make their way down to the field for the next match?"

Naruto put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before telling her in a teasing voice, "Now don't squash him too badly though. He is just a giant bug, after all. No offense Shino." Naruto said, the last part added on as if an afterthought. It was successful though as he managed to get Sakura to laugh and Shino to snort, which was more like an added bonus.

"Good luck Sakura," Sasuke said to his teammate, having migrated over to the little group after Genma had announced Sakura's match. "Though you probably won't need it," Sasuke added on in a similar way to Naruto.

Sakura giggled, but smiled warmly at Sasuke and Naruto anyway. "Arigato," she said, and turned around to shunshin out of the balcony and right next to Genma.

Shino, who had yet to discover the wonders of the shunshin, jumped from the balcony and landed on the ground in front of Sakura. Sakura smiled, pulling out her fingerless gloves and pulling them on, flexing her fingers before making a fist with each hand.

"The second match between Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino are about to begin." Genma announced, and the noise from the crowd disappeared. "Are the contestants ready to begin?" Genma looked at the two of them, and upon receiving nods from them both, started the match.

"Hajime!"

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1- Hajime means to "begin".

2- The Jyuken, also known as "Gentle Fist" is the taijutsu stance taught to the shinobi of the Hyuuga Clan who inherit the Byakugan. Using the Byakugan, Jyuken users send chakra to their hands to tap the chakra points on an opponent's body, disabling the opponent by causing them to lose feeling in the place hit.

3- The "Byakugan" is the doujutsu of the Hyuuga Clan. A bloodline limit (kekkei genkai), it enables the user to see the chakra coils of their opponent. The Jyuken is the accompanying taijutsu used with the Byakugan and is found in most of the Hyuuga Clan shinobi.

4- The Hakke Shou Kaiten, also known as "the Heavenly Spin" is a defense jutsu that works by the user when they spin rapidly, their chakra pouring out and creating a dome of chakra to block any of the incoming attacks.

5- The Tsukai āto: Tsukai no asobiba, also known as "Puppeteer Art: Puppeteer's Playground" is one of the many jutsus Naruto's created with his puppeteer skills. While shooting chakra strings to solid places such as trees, buildings, walls, (etc.), Naruto sends his chakra through the strings to make them pulse and seem as if they are alive. Powered and protected by the Wind Chakra, it gives the illusion that the strings are controlling where the opponent is being hurtled to and from, though Naruto is the one in control.

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**Well, here's Naruto's match of the Chuunin Exams: Final Round Part 1. I do apologize, for I'm not the best at writing fight or battle scenes, though I do try.**

**Please review; nothing motivates me better if I have good critique from my readers and ****positive**** feedback.**


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